Chapter 340: Setting Rules Again

News of the nine leaders’ deaths spread the next day. Some hardline Muslim believers staged riots in the morning, but without a leader, their chaos was disorganized; they fought in isolation, and far fewer people participated. Some gathered in front of the King of Kang’s palace, while others scattered to attack government buildings. Nearly a hundred people recklessly rushed out of the city, aiming to storm the military camps.

By then, the Tang army was already ready. Li Qing’an ordered another state of emergency, and 20,000 fully armed Tang soldiers began brutally suppressing the riots among the hardliners in Samarkand. Li Qing’an issued orders to execute anyone who refused to surrender. Tang cavalry pursued the rioters, who were armed with sticks and knives, through the streets and alleys, killing them on sight without any mercy.

In just one hour, the riots in the city were quelled. Over 2,000 people surrendered, while more than 400 who continued to resist were killed. The heart of the unrest remained at the King of Kang’s palace, where the largest crowd of rioters gathered.

Six thousand Tang cavalry surrounded the palace. More than a thousand rioters took refuge inside and confronted the Tang army, firing stones at them. The Tang army repeatedly warned them that surrendering was futile. At noon, Li Qing’an ordered the palace to be set on fire. The region of Khwarazm produced plenty of kerosene, and pottery jars filled with it were thrown into the palace using catapults. The entire palace was filled with the pungent smell of kerosene. The more than a thousand people hiding inside finally felt death approaching and began to surrender one after another. Kerosene continued to be thrown in, soaking the entire palace. By then, over 700 people had surrendered, while nearly 600 still refused.

“Light the fire!”

At Bai Xiaode’s command, hundreds of rockets were launched into the palace. Instantly, flames erupted everywhere, setting off a massive fire. The flames swallowed the entire palace, with thick smoke rising into the sky. Cries of agony and screams came from inside. Nearly a hundred people, covered in flames, rushed out of the palace, only to fall dead after a few dozen steps. The fire burned for three days and nights, reducing the palace, which covered nearly dozens of acres, to ashes. With 580 of the most die-hard anti-Tang rebels killed in the fire, this incident became a famous turning point in Khwarazm’s history.

A hundred years later, historians commented: “This palace fire destroyed the Abbasid dynasty’s last hope of reclaiming Khwarazm.”

With the defeat of the militant Muslims in Samarkand, the moderates gained the upper hand. The moderate leader Borodou wrote an open letter to the Muslims of Transoxiana, urging them to abandon hatred and rebuild their homeland. In response, Li Qing’an issued an order allowing Zoroastrians to build new temples but prohibiting the demolition of mosques any longer. At the end of February, the first batch of 50,000 dan of grain arrived in Samarkand, bringing grain prices back to their original levels and completely alleviating the crisis there. As the largest city in Transoxiana and its center, Samarkand’s example quickly spread to other regions. Cities that were planning uprisings also calmed down. In early March, the Tang army lifted martial law in all cities, and order began to return to Transoxiana. Three days later, Li Qing’an arrived in Bukhara, the second-largest city in Transoxiana. This city had become a deserted place after severe unrest twenty days earlier; out of its original population of over 200,000, fewer than 10,000 remained after days of bloody conflicts. Most people had fled to the mountains or to other cities such as Samarkand and Nishapur. As the situation gradually stabilized, residents of Bukhara began returning home one after another. Due to the deep hatred between Zoroastrians and Muslims in Bukhara, Li Qing’an adopted Cui Qianyou’s strategy of dividing the city. Using a tributary flowing through the city as a boundary, the two groups were settled in the east and west of the city based on their main residential areas. Muslims were mainly concentrated in the east and north, so the east was given to them, while the north was divided in two, with the river serving as the boundary; thus, the west was given to the Zoroastrians. Under the leadership of the Tang army, after discussions between representatives from both sides, an agreement was reached. Each side sent people to dismantle their own temples in the other’s territory and transport the materials back to rebuild their own temples. When Li Qing’an arrived in the city, Tian Zhen, the Tang army commander temporarily in charge, came to report to him. Bukhara originally had 10,000 troops, all composed of Zoroastrians from Transoxiana. When Li Siyue and Tian Zhen, who were guarding the Kingdom of Shi, arrived in Bukhara with 20,000 new troops, the original 10,000 troops were transferred to the east bank of the Amu Darya River for defense, leaving the maintenance of order in Bukhara to the new troops. “General, there are currently 30,000 Tang troops in An’guo. Siyue leads 20,000 troops to defend the east bank of the Amu Darya River, while I lead 10,000 Tang troops to handle the division of Bukhara,” he said. Li Qing’an nodded and asked, “So how is the division going? What are the difficulties?”

Tian Zhen was a famous spear fighter in the Tang army. Standing over ten feet tall with a towering build, he resembled half a black tower. Though rugged in appearance, he was extremely meticulous and highly capable. After thinking for a moment, he smiled and said, “Perhaps both sides are too afraid of killing each other. Everyone has been in favor of division, and things are progressing smoothly so far. Each side has formed an elder council composed of respected elders. The allocation of houses, population registration, and the construction or demolition of temples in their respective areas are all handled by these councils, with no interference from the Tang army. Everything is going very well, with no disputes so far. But… there are still difficulties.”

“What difficulties?”

Tian Zhen sighed and said, “The main issue is the ownership of the Buhara Great Mosque. Neither side will yield. With my mediation, this dispute has been temporarily put on hold, but it will eventually erupt. If not handled properly, I’m worried it could become a source of unrest again.”

Li Qing’an had also thought deeply about the matter of the Buhara Great Mosque. He knew well that if not resolved properly, it would inevitably lead to riots.

“Let’s go! We’ll take a look at the mosque.”

Hundreds of cavalry turned their horses and escorted Li Qing’an toward the mosque.

The streets of Buhara were in chaos. It was the busiest time for residents to move houses. Donkey carts and horse-drawn carriages filled with belongings could be seen everywhere. Men drove the carts, with several children sitting on top, while women followed beside them, carefully guarding their meager possessions. These carts formed a spectacular convoy, shuttling back and forth along the banks of the Misk River.

Tian Zhen had thought very carefully. He ordered soldiers to build two large bridges over the Misk River, ten miles apart, so that Zoroastrians and Muslims could use each bridge separately. This way, the two groups would hardly mix, thus avoiding the risk of conflict.

The cavalry moved through the crowd through narrow, winding streets. The houses were made of brick and tile or adobe with flat roofs, similar to Samarkand, stacked layer upon layer across the city. The mosque Li Qing’an wanted to visit was located in the north of the city, right next to the river that ran through Buhara. It was a spacious square surrounded by the Buhara Library established by the Arabs, an Islamic academy, and the famous Buhara Great Mosque. This area was a renowned center for literature and art in the Riverland region. Thousands of students and scholars came here every year to study and spread knowledge, earning it a high reputation throughout the Islamic world.

Zoroastrians had no interest in libraries or academies; what concerned them was that mosque, which had once been the second-largest temple to Ahura Mazda in the Transoxiana region, second only to the Samarkand temple. Fifty years ago, after the Arab forces captured Bukhara, they demolished the temple and built the Great Mosque of Bukhara on its site. Since the former Shiite spiritual leader was buried there, the mosque also became a sacred site for Shiites.

Yet this mosque also represented the deepest pain for Zoroastrians. For decades, they had never forgotten this hatred. When the Tang forces recaptured Bukhara, Zoroastrianism regained prominence, and restoring the temple to Ahura Mazda from fifty years ago became the greatest dream of the Zoroastrians in Bukhara. But this dream turned into the source of the riots in Bukhara.

Li Qing’an rode into the wide square, located on the east bank of the river, in Muslim territory, though the Zoroastrians did not acknowledge this. Almost all boundaries had been settled, except for this area, which was disputed between the two sides.

Li Qing’an circled the area, carefully observing the terrain. In the distance of the square lay the Bukhara River, about ten zhang wide, an important tributary of the Mijiang River that divided the city in two, thus serving as a boundary between the two religious groups. There used to be a bridge leading directly to the square, but it had been destroyed by the Tang forces. On both sides of the square stood several large buildings: the Islamic library and academy. Straight ahead lay the source of the riots—the Great Mosque of Bukhara. However, the mosque had collapsed, destroyed by the Zoroastrians during the riots. A curfew had now been imposed in the area around the mosque, with nearly a thousand Tang cavalry patrolling nearby, preventing anyone from approaching.

But outside the curfew zone, groups of Muslims and Zoroastrians could be seen; neither side trusted the other, so they had come to monitor each other.

“Does the general see them?” Tian Zhen pointed at the two groups in the distance and laughed, “Those two groups are their respective councils of elders. They were sitting together negotiating yesterday, and today they act as if they don’t know each other.”

Li Qing’an looked through the curtain for a while before nodding and saying, “Take them to the library. Find a room; I want to meet with them to discuss the ownership of the mosque.”

Dozens of cavalry rushed to fetch people, while Li Qing’an entered the library. The library was a completely enclosed rectangular building with a playground and open space in the middle, surrounded by numerous rooms—resembling a large prison, except that scholars lived here. Many scholars resided here year-round. Bukhara had a long history and had been the cultural and artistic center of the Transoxiana region for thousands of years, while Samarkand served as the commercial center. With its profound cultural heritage, large numbers of scholars from Damascus and Constantinople came here every year to study religion, history, mathematics, and calendars. The playground in the middle of the building was where they walked to seek inspiration. After the Arab armies conquered Bukhara, it naturally became an Islamic cultural center.

Despite the severe unrest in Bukhara, with the mosque nearby being the epicenter of the riots, the hundreds of scholars living in the library did not flee. They locked the doors tightly, packed hundreds of thousands of parchment scrolls into boxes, and hid them in the basement. They took up weapons, ready to defend these precious cultural texts with their lives.

But they were also lucky. When the mosque collapsed, the rioters left the square to loot and kill residents, and no one showed interest in those parchment scrolls.

Led by Ibrahim, the library director, Li Qing’an visited this largest cultural center in Transoxiana with great interest.

Ibrahim was a scholar from Damascus who had been in the library for thirty years. He had devoted all his efforts to protecting cultural texts. He opened a room and showed it to Li Qing’an, saying, “General, please take a look. Here, there are three thousand parchment scrolls, mainly documenting mathematics and history. Some come from Damascus and India, and some are copies from the Library of Athens.”

Before Li Qing’an was a large, dimly lit room about fifty feet high. Massive bookshelves stretched all the way to the ceiling. Dozens of gray-haired scholars were bent over, copying parchment scrolls with quills, completely absorbed in their work, with none of them looking up.

Ibrahim explained, “They are all scholars from the West. The shortest time they have been here is ten years, but many of the parchment books are hundreds of years old and already in poor condition, so they need to be saved. They spend almost their entire lives copying these books.”

“An entire life?” Li Qing’an was surprised.

“Yes! An entire life, including mine.”

Ibrahim let out a soft sigh. The library no longer had any funding, relying entirely on support from the nearby mosque. Now that the mosque was destroyed, their financial support had vanished. Without funds, there would be no bread, no parchment, no ink— they would not be able to survive. But today, Li Qing’an stumbled upon the library by chance, bringing a glimmer of hope to Ibrahim. If he could gain the support of this highest ruler in Anxi and even the Central Regions, the library could continue to exist, and culture would not be lost.

He clasped his hands together and said to Li Qing’an with a pleading tone, “General, we don’t even receive a single dinar as payment. Everything we do is voluntary, solely to pass on these books to future generations and to prevent history and culture from being lost through our hands. We are willing to dedicate our entire lives, but we only need a little bread, a little ink, and parchment to survive. Yet we have no funding at all. We earnestly beg the general to provide us with some funds to keep this library going.”

Li Qing’an remained silent for a long time. He thought of that ancient country in the East, where centuries of destruction of culture had left their descendants only remembering a history of just two hundred years, a history marked by shame. They had forgotten their glorious past— the powerful Han and Tang dynasties, the prosperous Song dynasties, and their valiant ancestors whose swords and bows made the West tremble. Perhaps what they lacked was just such a library to continuously record history.

“I understand. The government of Bukhara will be established soon, and they will allocate special funds for the library, or Samarkand may provide some funds as well. You need not worry about that.”

As he spoke, Li Qing’an remembered something else and added, “The Arabs have already learned papermaking from Chang’an. It will likely take a long time before it reaches here. You can select some young people to go to Samarkand to learn papermaking, hoping it will help your library.”

Ibrahim was overjoyed. He had seen the white hemp paper of the Tang Dynasty from Sogdian merchants. If they could master this papermaking technique, it would be invaluable for preserving the library’s books.

“Thank you, General! Thank you so much!”

Ibrahim was so excited he could hardly speak. Li Qing’an turned to Zhao Siyi, the judge accompanying him, and said, “You’re in charge of addressing the library’s funding issues and learning papermaking.”

Zhao Siyi quickly agreed. At that moment, Tian Zhen hurried over and reported, “General, both sides have arrived. I’ve arranged a meeting room on the second floor; we’re just waiting for you to go there.”
“Good!” Li Qing’an smiled and said to Ibrahim, “Thank you for showing me around the library. I have important matters to attend to, so I’ll be leaving first.”
With that, he followed Tian Zhen up to the second floor.
…
The meeting room was temporarily converted from a reading room. The Tang army arranged tables and chairs in two rows. Eight people from each side sat facing each other—this was their usual method of negotiation, allowing them to express their demands and ideas openly and face to face.
The meeting room was surrounded by fully armed Tang soldiers. Through a large window, one could clearly see the collapsed mosque on the opposite side. This was Tian Zhen’s deliberate arrangement, meant to help both sides confront reality.
Besides Li Qing’an, those attending the negotiation were also the vice king of Anguo. In the Sogdian region, a dual-kingship system existed, with a chief king and a vice king. The chief king of Anguo, Ye Jie, had been killed by Li Qing’an, leaving the vice king, Luo Jiwang, to take charge. Around fifty years old and pro-Tang, Luo Jiwang had a poor relationship with the chief king and had long been exiled at home. For this negotiation between the two factions’ elders, he served as a mediator.
Neither side spoke. Although they were both Sogdians, their religious beliefs had severed their brotherly ties. They could reach agreements on all issues except the ownership of this mosque—neither side would yield.
Suddenly, footsteps were heard outside. Dozens of Tang soldiers escorted Li Qing’an into the room, with General Tian Zhen following behind him. When the two groups saw him enter, they all stood up.
“Please sit down!”
Li Qing’an waved his hand smilingly, asking everyone to sit. He then sat down himself and said, “I’d like to first thank everyone for their rationality and mutual tolerance, which have prevented further conflicts in Bukhara. We’re here today hoping to completely eliminate the root causes of these conflicts.”
Li Qing’an pointed at the mosque outside the window. “It’s this mosque. I hope we can conduct today’s negotiation with utmost sincerity.”
At that moment, an elderly Muslim stood up and said, “General, we’ve discussed the ownership of this mosque three times, but we still haven’t reached an agreement. We’re willing to buy it for five hundred thousand dinars, but the other side refuses. Anyway, the mosque is on the east bank of the river—it should belong to Muslims. We absolutely cannot accept a Zoroastrian temple appearing on the east bank. I hope the general can understand.”

An elderly Zoroastrian on the other side also stood up and bowed, saying, “Respected General Li, this original temple of Ahura Mazda has a history of five hundred years and is a sacred site for Zoroastrians in Bukhara and Transoxiana. It originally housed the scepter of Ahura Mazda, which, like the Eye of Truth, is a sacred relic of Zoroastrianism. Since the Arabs invaded Bukhara, they destroyed the temple of the supreme god as well as these sacred relics. We have endured this, but we will never allow a mosque to be built on this temple—it is an insult to the supreme god. We ask the general to understand our position.”
Li Qing’an nodded and said, “I know. Your conflicts are irreconcilable, which is why I have proposed a third option. Please listen to my proposal.”