Chapter 194: The Great Eagle of the Tang Army

The conflict had subsided. To the north of the camp, hundreds of Tang soldiers were divided into two groups, glaring at each other angrily. One group was the Yiwu Army, and the other was the Tianshan Army. During the brief clash, over a dozen tents were overturned or torn, and two people suffered cuts on their arms. This conflict stemmed from the issue of where the Shatuo people should camp. According to Li Fei Shouyu’s planning, the two Shatuo groups were not to be together—one group would camp with the Yiwu Army, while the other would camp with the Hanhai Army to the south. However, Han Zhi insisted that the loyal Shatuo tribe stay with them, so he persuaded the Tianshan Army to give up some space. Li Fei Shouyu then stepped in to mediate, ordering the Tianshan Army to give up half of their tents. It seemed the problem was resolved, but just now, the Yiwu Army came to claim all the tents, insisting they should have them all. When the two sides argued, they started fighting.

Li Fei Shouyu suppressed his dissatisfaction and questioned Han Zhi, “Commander Han, I clearly compromised this morning by having the Tianshan Army give up half of their tents to you. Even if you intended for the Shatuo people to camp together, there’s enough space for that. Why do you insist on taking all the tents and causing hardship for the Tianshan Army soldiers?”

Han Zhi snorted and said, “Different tribes have different customs. The Shatuo people would never crowd twenty people into one tent; eight is the maximum they can tolerate. You’re in charge of arranging the tents—why can’t you provide a few more? Besides, there’s so much empty space in the city, yet you won’t let us settle there. How can my men accept that?”

“Even if they’re unhappy, they can raise objections, but you can’t incite the soldiers to provoke others. With a major battle approaching, internal strife is harmful to the Tang Army.”

Han Zhi narrowed his eyes and said darkly, “General Li Fei, you need evidence when making accusations. When did I incite the soldiers to cause trouble? What do you mean by saying this?”

“The governor is here!”

The soldiers stepped aside, and Li Qing’an walked over quickly. He glanced coldly at the overturned tents and said, “Everyone who took part in the fight, step forward.”

Han Zhi hurriedly said, “Governor…”

Li Qing’an waved his hand to stop him. “We’ll talk about your matter later. First, I want to question those who fought.” He turned to the soldiers and said, “What, you refuse to come forward? Do you really expect me to search for them one by one?”

At that moment, over a dozen soldiers reluctantly stepped forward. Li Qing’an nodded and said, “Also, a true man dares to take responsibility—step forward.”

Another thirty-some people stepped forward. Under their leadership, those who had fought also came out one after another, bringing the total to one hundred twenty.
“Is that all?”
Li Qing’an asked three more times. No one else stepped forward. He glanced at the over hundred people and sneered, “Very good! Before even fighting the enemy, they’re already fighting among themselves. Since that’s the case, I’ll make sure you get your due. Take them away—fifty lashes each!”
The over hundred people were led away in despair. Soon, the sound of whips cracking could be heard, and cries of pain began.
Only then did Li Qing’an turn to Han Zhi and ask, “Governor Han, do you have anything to say?”
Han Zhi said with a solemn face, “Our Yiwu army does not wish to camp together with the Tianshan army. We request to set up a separate camp. Please understand, Governor.”
Li Qing’an stared at his face for a long time before forcing out a single word through his teeth, “Approved!”
……
The farce over the campsite ended with the Yiwu army moving out and setting up another camp. To everyone’s surprise, Zhu Xia Jinzhong’s Shatuo forces, who had started the trouble, did not move away. Despite Han Zhi’s repeated attempts to persuade Zhu Xia Jinzhong, the latter firmly stated that he was directly under Li Qing’an’s command and it would be inappropriate to camp with the Yiwu army. With no other choice, Han Zhi led Zhu Xia Shengyi’s forces to another camp five miles away.
That night, Han Zhi’s tent was brightly lit as he, his deputy Yang Zaicheng, and Zhu Xia Shengyi held final discussions.
Han Zhi tapped a plan on the table with his fingers. “Li Qing’an is likely to launch an attack in one or two days. Our only chance is tonight.”
A month and a half earlier, when he arrived in Longwei City and discovered Li Qing’an’s plan to destroy Ye, he came up with a bold plan: why not take action first and claim this great merit for himself? He sent scouts to Ashibulai City. Three scouts went, but only one returned—one was captured, and one was killed. Yet Han Zhi obtained a lot of first-hand information about Ashibulai City. His problem was a lack of troops—he brought only two thousand of the three thousand Yiwu soldiers, plus another thousand Shatuo riders, totaling just three thousand cavalry. Meanwhile, Ashibulai City had received reinforcements of ten thousand from the Shiguo army. So he thought of another group of Shatuo cavalry, but unfortunately, it failed in the end because Zhu Xia Jinzhong refused to leave the camp with him. Still, Han Zhi decided to attack Ashibulai City alone.
“Now, I want you to state your position—whether you’re willing to join me in seizing this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”

Han Zhi’s gaze fell on Yang Zaicheng. Yang Zaicheng hesitated; he felt this attack was too risky. He remembered Zhao Tingyu’s death, and now Han Zhi was about to follow in his footsteps. He wanted to warn Han Zhi, but he saw that Han Zhi was determined, and persuasion was pointless. It was his duty to obey his superior’s orders. Worried, Yang Zaicheng said, “Commander, we only have three thousand men, while Ashibulai City has ten thousand soldiers from the Shi State. The disparity in strength is enormous. Moreover, I’ve heard there are also Arab troops, whose combat strength far exceeds that of the Shi State army.” “I know that,” Han Zhi replied. “My scouts have already investigated. A month ago, the Arab troops from Ashibulai City went to Talas. It’s said there’s a civil war in their country, so they should be preparing to return. The ten thousand soldiers now are from the Shi State—weak Sogdian forces. Although we’re outnumbered, I’m confident we can defeat them in one battle. All I ask is, are you willing to follow me?” Yang Zaicheng sighed inwardly. He really didn’t want to, but he couldn’t bring himself to say no, so he simply nodded silently. Han Zhi smiled and asked Zhu Xia Shengyi in Turkic, “General Shengyi, it’s time for you to make a decision.” Zhu Xia Shengyi had been resentful ever since they discovered the Göktürk nobles in that valley last time. They suffered heavy losses, yet they didn’t get any women or wealth. Although Li Qingan later gave some of the spoils to the Shatuo, most was seized by Ye Hu, leaving them with little. It was said there was gold in that valley encounter, but they didn’t even see a trace of it. Many died, and in the end, Nan Jiyun reaped the benefits. This incident had left him dissatisfied. At Han Zhi’s question, Zhu Xia Shengyi immediately agreed, “I’ll do whatever the commander says!” “Good!” Han Zhi slammed his fist on the table excitedly. “Then let the Shi State clowns taste the might of our Yiwu army.” At the first watch of the night, three thousand cavalry from the Yiwu army quietly left the camp and rushed westward along the Ili River. …… In the main command tent, light still shone. Li Qingan sat alone at the table, studying the map of Suiye carefully. It was already the first watch of the night, and the map had been folded away, but he still felt no fatigue. Holding a cup of hot tea, he sipped slowly, occasionally getting up to gaze outside the tent, his expression filled with worry and indecision, as if waiting for something. Suddenly, hurried footsteps were heard outside the tent. With a crack, Li Qingan crushed his teacup in his hand.

“Reporting to the governor, Commander Han led the Yiwu troops westward; their whereabouts are unknown.”
“I understand.” A hint of regret and desolation appeared in Li Qing’an’s eyes.
……
Ashibulai City was located to the north of Ningyuan Kingdom. Originally a northern border city of Ningyuan Kingdom and a vital route on the Silk Road, it had been prosperous since ancient times.
During the Kaiyuan era, the Abbasids expanded eastward. Ashibulai City was captured by the famous general Qubad al-Dawla and became a springboard for the Abbasids to attack Suiye.
However, a revolutionary storm swept through the Abbasids. Shiite Muslims in Khorasan rose up in rebellion against the Umayyad dynasty. Soon, the Khorasan nobles led by the Abbasids seized control, sparking a civil war that saw the new Abbasid dynasty replace the Umayyads.
The Abbasid forces in the East withdrew westward, but they left some troops in Ashibulai City and Talas City.
The commander of the Abbasid troops in Ashibulai City was Judir, an experienced veteran. By now, he had surrendered to the Abbasids and been appointed governor of Talas.
Judir had a total of four thousand troops under his command—two thousand in Ashibulai City and two thousand in Talas City. All were elite troops from the Khorasan region. One and a half months earlier, the Abbasid troops captured a Tang Dynasty scout, from whom they learned that the Tang Dynasty had stationed heavy troops in five new cities in the north. Judir was shocked. He immediately realized that the Tang army was preparing to attack Suiye. Deciding to strike first, he promptly sent troops from the Shi State to reinforce Ashibulai City.
During the troop deployment, Judir used a clever trick. He first withdrew his troops to Talas, then disguised them as soldiers from the Shi State before returning to Ashibulai City with them. In fact, among the ten thousand Shi State troops in Ashibulai City at that time, only six thousand were genuine Shi State soldiers; the other four thousand were disguised Abbasid troops.
They were also fully prepared to capture Suiye City before the Tang army.
That morning, a low sound of bull horns echoed over Ashibulai City. The combined force of ten thousand Abbasid and Shi State troops slowly left the city and marched toward the Suiye River valley. The straight-line distance from Ashibulai City to Suiye was about 250 li, but the road was not smooth. Two massive mountain ranges running north-south enclosed the Suiye River, forming a valley over a hundred li wide. With the Suiye River flowing through it and Lake Rehai nearby, the Suiye River valley had fertile land, lush forests, and rich grasslands, making it a brilliant gem in the western regions.

In the long queue, Judir led the way at the front. Around forty years old, he had a square face, thick eyebrows, and was rarely smiling. He was highly renowned in the Arab army as the Eagle of Khorasan. Walking with him was the commander of the Stone Kingdom’s army, the second prince, Yuanen.

During the expedition to Beiting a few months ago, Yuanen failed to obtain the Eye of Light, just as Prince Hassan did. The Eye of Light was taken by Princess Kulan to the shrine in Samarkand of the Kang Kingdom. Yuanen had been gloomy ever since until he was appointed commander of the Stone Kingdom’s expedition force, after which his mood gradually improved.

“General Judir, why don’t we wait until the Tang army and the Turkic tribes are both exhausted before launching an attack? You know, rushing in like this means we’ll have to face two enemies.”

Judir glanced at him and said, “Your Highness, your master didn’t tell you that the Tang army is skilled at defending cities. Once they capture Suyab, we’ll have no chance left. On the contrary, I’ll tell Dhumuzi that we never intended to occupy Suyab and never will. We’re here to help him resist the Tang army—we’re his friends. Do you understand, Your Highness?”

Only then did Yuanen realize, “General Judir truly thinks far ahead.”

But he frowned again and said, “However, the Turkic tribes have been at odds for years; I doubt they’ll unite.”

A rare smile appeared on Judir’s face. “Your Highness, there’s a saying in my hometown of Khorasan: An enemy of your enemy is your friend. Since we’re going to Suyab, it’s to deal with Khan Erwiter, who occupies the city. Then, Dhumuzi, Erwiter’s enemy, is our friend. The Arabs don’t necessarily have to occupy Suyab. As long as Dhumuzi becomes the caliph’s servant, it’s not impossible for him to stay in Suyab.”

Yuanen was stunned. If Dhumuzi stayed in Suyab, what would be left for the Stone Kingdom? Weren’t they supposed to annex Suyab?

“General Judir…”

Before he could finish, Judir waved his hand. “Suyab will eventually belong to the Stone Kingdom. This is just a temporary tactic to buy time. Once Abbas takes the throne, the Arabs will continue to expand eastward. By then, we’ll have enough strength to confront the Tang Dynasty. Not only will Suyab belong to the Stone Kingdom, but Bakhtria will also be incorporated, as punishment for their alliance with the Tang Dynasty.”

As soon as he finished speaking, a horse rushed toward them from afar, with the rider shouting loudly, “General Judir!”

Judir stopped his horse. “What’s the matter?”

“A group of Tang soldiers is coming this way. They’re less than twenty li away.”

Judil was shocked and asked urgently, “How many are they?”
“About three thousand!”
Judil sneered. Thinking that three thousand could deal with his ten thousand was sheer overconfidence. He immediately ordered, “Get the entire army ready, horses prepared, for battle!”
In moments, Han Zhi’s three thousand Yiwu troops appeared like a dark mass on the horizon. He also saw the army of the Shi State from afar and, excited, drew his sword and shouted, “Charge! Crush the Shi State army in one fell swoop!”
Zhu Xie Shengyi roared like thunder. He led a thousand Shatuo cavalry like a raging wolf pack, charging forward toward the center of the enemy forces.
At the center were four thousand elite Abbasid troops. They wore leather armor, helmets, carried Abbasid scimitars, held long spears, and rode on sturdy Arabian horses.
As the Shatuo troops charged, the Abbasid troops quickly tore off their robes of the Shi State army, revealing their tight black armor. Their black flags were unfurled, bearing a golden Saladin eagle—the emblem of the Abbasids.
With a shout, countless spears gleamed in the sunlight as they charged at the Shatuo troops. Judil, the commander, waved his flag, and six thousand Shi State troops, like the wings of an eagle, flanked the Tang army from both sides.
Han Zhi’s heart sank as if it had dropped into an abyss. He never expected that among the Shi State army were four thousand Abbasid troops—so brave and skilled in battle, far from being a disorganized bunch that could be defeated in one strike as he had imagined. A sense of fear arose in his heart.