Chapter 197: Domination Over Vast Lands

A brutal and fierce battle erupted on a battlefield spanning about three li, with 12,000 Tang troops clashing against over 10,000 forces from the Abbasid alliance. The Tang army relied mainly on 6,000 spear cavalry, while another 6,000 archer-cavalry units formed two flanks, maintaining a cohesive formation. Although simpler in structure compared to the Tang forces, their deployment targeted the weaknesses of the Abbasid alliance—its haphazard assembly, lack of coordination, and uneven strength.

To exploit these weaknesses, Li Qing’an adopted a strategy of attacking the weaker forces first before turning to the stronger ones, thereby defeating the Abbasid forces one by one. Lacking unified training, the Abbasid forces were far more disorganized. Aside from over 3,000 Abbasid troops forming a square formation, the armies of the Shi State and the Turkic tribes were completely scattered, each fighting on its own. Yet Judir was aware of his own weaknesses; he ordered the Turkic tribes, who preferred skirmishing tactics, to deal with the Tang spear cavalry on the flanks, while the Shi State troops formed a square formation to support him.

What met the Abbasid forces head-on were the elite six battalions of the Han Sea Army under Duan Xiushi’s command. The two armies collided like crashing waves—swords and spears flashing, iron cavalry roaring, cries of battle, screams of pain, the crunching of bones, and agonized wails filling the air. Blood flew everywhere, and corpses and severed limbs littered the ground, making life on the battlefield as worthless as grass.

Li Fei Shouyu led 2,000 archer-cavalry units at the left flank of the Abbasid forces, charging swiftly like arrows in a downpour. Their arrows rained down on the Abbasid square formation, effectively supporting Duan Xiushi’s main force in the frontal assault.

Meanwhile, brothers Bai Xiaode and Bai Xiaojie were tasked with dealing with the Turkic tribes. Though nobles of Kucha, they had been brave and skilled in archery and horseback riding since childhood. Each led 1,000 archer-cavalry units, using powerful bows and crossbows to hold off the Turkic tribes’ attacks on the Tang forces’ flanks.

Li Qing’an and Dhumuzi were “old friends,” having fought together for years. Dhumuzi’s son, Duluoxian, had died at Li Qing’an’s hands. Li Qing’an knew the Turkic tribes well—knowing they were bold in appearance but timid at heart, eager for glory yet cautious about their own lives. Although Dhumuzi harbored a grudge against him for killing his son, he would never risk his foundation—his tribes—just to avenge his son. He would not serve anyone either.

They were wolves of the steppes—wolves who feared the strong and bullied the weak, never falling behind when facing the weak, with claws sharper than anyone else’s. But when confronted by a stronger enemy, they would stay far away. Dhumuzi was exactly such a wolf.

It was precisely because of his thorough understanding of the Turkic tribes that Li Qing’an did not deploy too many troops against them. He knew that at the slightest sign of trouble, Dumoji would flee faster than anyone else. In terms of understanding the Turkic tribes, Li Qing’an was clearly superior to Judir. Judir ordered the Turkic tribes to attack the Tang army from the flanks, but he did not realize that Dumoji had survived since the time of Sultan Suluq precisely because he had his own set of rules for self-preservation.

As Li Qing’an had understood, although Dumoji appeared fierce, he did not exert his full strength in attacking the Tang army. He ordered his men to rush back and forth along the flanks of the Tang army, shouting loudly to create a thunderous impact, but he never launched a large-scale assault. Instead, he sent only a small number of Turkic cavalry for probing attacks. Whenever they encountered counterattacks from Tang archers, they would immediately turn and retreat. After nearly an hour of fighting, his losses were less than six hundred men, allowing him to maintain his strength.

While directing the attacks, Dumoji also observed the situation between the two armies. The arrival of such a large force from Beiting likely meant that the Tang dynasty intended to restore control over Suiye. With the Abbasid army deeply engaged in civil war, how could they resist the Tang dynasty’s advance to the west? Dumoji knew his territory was in danger, but he was unwilling to give up. He hoped to use Judir’s strength to drive away the Tang army, yet the situation became increasingly unfavorable for the Abbasid forces, prompting him to consider alternative plans.

The Tang army was focusing all its efforts on attacking the weaknesses of the Abbasid-Allied forces. Nan Jiyun and Lei Wanchun each led a cavalry unit, acting like sharp knives and iron fists to strike at the left and right wings of the Abbasid and Shiguo armies, aiming to break up their combined formation. Nan Jiyun’s long iron spear, fifteen feet long and extremely sharp, moved like a storm as it charged through the enemy ranks, piercing through their chests and flinging them high into the air, their screams echoing in the air. At that moment, an Abbasid general attacked from the side. The spear slipped past, and the two engaged in close combat. Nan Jiyun held the spear in his left hand and drew his sword with his right, slashing swiftly and cutting off half of the Abbasid general’s head. His warhorse fled away with the dead body.

“Kill them!” he roared. The morale of the Tang soldiers around him soared, and with one concerted effort, they acted like a razor-sharp bone-cutting knife, instantly splitting the Abbasid and Shiguo armies in two.

The Tang army’s war drums suddenly rang out, their sound thunderous. Their ant-destroying tactic was launched, executed by Lei Wanchun. He led four battalions of two thousand cavalry, targeting the weak Shiguo army.

Lei Wanchun was known as the most ferocious general in the Northern Court, extraordinary in bravery. He was of towering stature, riding a massive warhorse that made him resemble a giant deity descended from heaven. Wielding two large iron hammers, each weighing fifty jin, he swung them with great force, sending gusts of wind and shadows flying like snowflakes. Fierce as a bear, he was accompanied by a hundred hammer cavalry, all of whom were strong and muscular, each carrying two iron hammers. Together, they formed the Hundred Hammer Formation. Wherever this formation passed, the soldiers of the Shi state suffered gruesome deaths, with their brains bursting and bones breaking.

Lei Wanchun led two thousand Tang soldiers in a relentless charge, sweeping through the enemy like a storm. They slaughtered the Shi state cavalry, leaving heads rolling and blood flowing like rivers. The Shi soldiers were terrified and demoralized, scattering in all directions as Lei Wanchun’s Hundred Hammer Formation advanced.

The Shi prince, Yuanen, was pale with fear. The strength of the Tang army made him realize that the Abbasid forces were likely to lose this battle. He couldn’t bear to imagine the consequences if the Shi state continued to fight alongside them.

“Second prince, we can’t hold on anymore. Defeat is certain. Surrender!” a blood-covered Shi general rushed at Yuanen and shouted.

“Surrender?” Yuanen was confused. Could he really surrender?

“Surrender! Otherwise, our Shi state is doomed!”

As soon as the general finished speaking, he let out a scream as a spear pierced his chest. Rashid, the Abbasid general overseeing the battle, snarled, “How dare you undermine morale!”

He pulled out the spear and glared at Yuanen, “Fight to the death! No one is allowed to speak of retreating! Do you understand?”

Yuanen looked at the bloody tip of the spear and timidly nodded. Rashid then ordered a soldier, “Go quickly and ask the general for help. Tell him the Shi army is in danger.”

Before the soldier could leave, Judir, the Abbasid commander behind them, had already realized the critical situation. The Shi army was likely to retreat first. He quickly turned to his deputy, Hussein, and said, “Continue commanding the battle.”

He then ordered his five hundred elite guards, “Follow me immediately to support the Shi army.”

These five hundred elite warriors, who had been with Judir the whole time, had donned bright armor seized from the Yiwu army. Riding magnificent Arab warhorses, each was equipped with twenty short spears. These were brave and skilled Bedouins, all masters of horseback combat. During the Kaiyuan era, when Judir suppressed the Sogdian Sharik uprising, these five hundred Bedouins had crushed three thousand rebels, killing nearly ten thousand of them and their families.

In the battle that shattered the Yiwu army a few days ago, it was these 500 Bedouins who first defeated the Shatuo forces and then killed Tang General Han Zhi. They were Judir’s elite troops, often capable of turning the tide of battle. Now, as the Shi state’s army was on the verge of collapse, Judir sent in this battle-hardened force.

The 500 Bedouins charged together on their horses, with Saladin’s eagle flag flying high in the air—a signal that the Arab commander was approaching. Li Qing’an had been watching that flag closely. Seeing it move toward the Shi state’s army, he realized Judir himself was coming to rescue them from peril. To counter this formidable Arab cavalry, Li Qing’an deployed his specially prepared secret weapon.

He turned to Li Fei Yuanli and shouted, “You may go into battle now.”

At that moment, Li Fei Yuanli was clad in full armor, wielding an 18-foot-long halberd. During his time in Anxi, he had served as a deputy commander under Li Siyeh’s halberd unit. After arriving in Beiting, he selected 1,000 tall soldiers with long arms from the Hanhai Army to train them into a halberd unit. Unfortunately, halberds were difficult to forge, and Beiting managed to produce only 600 of them in a few months, forcing them to form a halberd unit on an emergency basis.

These 600 heavily armored halberd soldiers were hidden among 6,000 spear cavalrymen—Li Qing’an’s secret weapon against the 500 Bedouins.

At his command, the 600 heavily armored halberd soldiers followed Li Fei Yuanli toward the enemy’s flag. Li Qing’an also spurred his warhorse and led several hundred of his personal troops to the battlefield of the Shi state’s army. At this point, the Shi state’s army was the weak link of the Arab forces, and its defeat would determine the outcome of the entire Suiye War.

The Bedouins immediately displayed their speed and ferocity. They rushed around the Tang army like a storm, using captured Tang shields to block arrows. Their short spears, like venomous snakes, would suddenly lunge out, delivering fatal blows. More than a dozen soldiers in the Hundred Hammers formation had already died from these spears.

The arrival of the Arab commander greatly boosted the morale of the Shi state’s army. The more than 4,000 Shi state cavalrymen gradually gathered together and managed to resist the Tang army’s attacks. Judir loudly directed the Shi state’s army to reorganize their formation. Just then, Li Fei Yuanli’s 600 halberd soldiers arrived.

They formed an iron wall between the Hundred Hammers formation and the Bedouins. The halberds swung at the Bedouin cavalry, while spears flew like hail, striking the heavily armored soldiers without penetrating them. The halberd soldiers advanced steadily, step by step, toward the Bedouins. Unaware of the danger, over a hundred Bedouins shouted loudly and charged at the halberd soldiers with their long spears, trying to pierce the armor with their powerful blows.

Unexpectedly, as soon as the two armies clashed, the sharp halberds flew through the air, cutting more than a hundred cavalrymen and their horses to pieces. Judir was shocked and ordered his troops to retreat. At that moment, the Tang army behind the halberds launched another attack. A hundred hammer cavalry, led by Lei Wanchun, charged at the Shi army with tremendous force. Two thousand Tang soldiers followed closely behind. Lei Wanchun, like a giant descending from heaven, plunged into the dense enemy ranks, swinging his heavy hammer left and right. Every Shi soldier under his hammer had their brains burst and internal organs torn apart. His hundred subordinates also swung their hammers, creating a sea of hammer shadows. The enemy suffered heavy casualties. The powerful assault of the hammer cavalry shattered the Shi army’s newly formed formation, leaving them in chaos and on the verge of collapse. Judir panicked and shouted loudly, “Form up! Do not retreat!” His orders had no effect—the Shi army was already terrified by Lei Wanchun’s attacks. Judir suddenly turned to stare at Lei Wanchun. If they didn’t kill him, they would surely be defeated. He drew a dark short spear from his saddle bag, made of precision steel and extremely sharp. His eyes narrowed as he fixed his gaze on Lei Wanchun’s chest. He seemed to recall the moment a few days earlier when he personally shot down the Tang army’s commander—those perfect arcs as the spear pierced the Tang general’s chest and pinned him to the ground. The thrill of that moment was still unforgettable to him. He slowly raised his spear, aiming at Lei Wanchun, who was slaughtering Shi soldiers thirty steps away. Just as he was about to throw the spear, an iron arrow shot like lightning. A black dot suddenly enlarged before his eyes, followed by intense pain between his brows. His vision turned red, then everything became pitch black. The iron arrow pierced Judir’s head. His spear fell to the ground, and he tumbled off his horse. Eighty steps away, Li Qing’an slowly retracted his Fiery Flame Bow and smiled to the sky. It had been a long time since he had fought. Killing the Arab commander in battle gave him the feeling of returning to the garrison in Anxi. “The Arab commander is dead! Whoever captures his flag will be rewarded with a thousand taels of silver!” The Tang army cheered loudly, striving to be the first. Saladin’s eagle battle flag disappeared amidst the bloodshed… When news of Judir’s death spread, Dhumuzi saw the situation was dire and led his men to flee the battlefield first. With the help of the Turkic cavalry, the Arab coalition completely collapsed. Both the Arab and Shi armies were utterly defeated and pursued by the Tang army. Countless soldiers knelt and surrendered. In this battle, the Tang army killed nearly seven thousand enemies and captured more than five thousand. Only Prince Yuan’en of the Shi kingdom managed to escape, protected by over a hundred guards. The entire Arab coalition was annihilated. …

In the bitter cold wind, the gates of Suire City were wide open. Khagan Erwiterike of the Turkic Khaganate led over 200 Turkic nobles, kneeling on the ground. Behind them, more than 2,000 Turkic soldiers laid down their weapons and lined up, awaiting their fate.

Inside the city gates, over 1,000 Han people from Suire crowded at the entrance, carrying food and drinks, eagerly awaiting the arrival of the Tang army. In the distance, the banners of the Tang army appeared at the edge of the grassland. After two days of rest, Li Qing’an led 8,000 Tang soldiers to formally take control of Suire City.

The mighty Tang army drew closer, their armor gleaming and their presence imposing. Li Qing’an gazed at the towering city, filled with deep emotion. 1,300 years later, this city had vanished into the sands of time, and this land had become a foreign land. Yet under the powerful Tang Dynasty, it was still a frontier for the Han people.

The army stopped in front of the Turkic nobles. Khagan Erwiterike raised his seal high and declared, “Your humble servant from the Tang Dynasty’s border regions, Erwiterike, surrenders to the governor of Beiting!”

Li Qing’an dismounted, helped him up, and said with a smile, “Khagan, you have a far-sighted vision. The stability of Suire depends on the joint efforts of you and the Tang army. I hope you can live in harmony with them.”

He then glanced at the Turkic soldiers who had surrendered their weapons, nodded, and gave Li Fei Shouyu a signal. Li Fei Shouyu immediately led 3,000 soldiers to take control of the Turkic people.

Watching his army taken away by the Tang soldiers, Khagan Erwiterike sighed secretly. The loss of his army meant the loss of his power. From now on, the Turkic Khaganate of Suire would become history.

Deeply troubled, he said to Li Qing’an, “Envoy, I plan to take my son to Chang’an to meet the Emperor. May I ask if I may proceed?”

Li Qing’an smiled gently and replied, “It’s certainly a good thing to meet the Emperor. After I settle matters in Suire, I must also return to the capital to report. Why not come with me?”

Khagan Erwiterike quickly replied, “I appreciate your kindness, but I plan to set off the day after tomorrow and leave first.”

“Very well!”

Li Qing’an mounted his horse and turned back, shouting, “Form up and follow me into the city to take control of Suire!”

The Tang army lined up and began to enter Suire City officially. As the Tang cavalry entered the city gates, the Han people of Suire rejoiced wildly. They rushed forward, eagerly offering bread and wine, tears of joy streaming down their faces. After losing control to the Tang Dynasty in the seventh year of the Kaiyuan era, this people, who had wandered for 30 years, had finally returned to the embrace of their motherland.

Volume 7: The Turbulent Tang Dynasty