Chapter 402: Seeing Through the Maze

On the afternoon after talking with the Sogdian merchants, Li Qing’an set off for Nishapur. He had received news from Li Siye that Nishapur had already been captured.

The distance from Samarkand to Nishapur wasn’t far—only over 300 li. Li Qing’an rode at full speed, and two days later, he and his 2,000 bodyguards arrived at the city of Nishapur.

The battle to capture Nishapur was already over. In this fierce battle, nearly 3,000 Tang soldiers were killed or wounded, while the Abbasid forces also lost 2,000 men. The Tang army suffered higher casualties than the Abbasids. Moreover, the Tang forces performed poorly in this battle, suffering heavy losses during the siege. Without the help of Thunderous Bomb, they might not have been able to capture Nishapur. What angered Li Siye even more was that after the Tang forces rushed into the city through the breach, the Abbasid commander Shahim took advantage of their distraction and led 500 men to break through the north gate and escape from Nishapur. His whereabouts remain unknown to this day.

“General, this battle shows that the combat strength of the Abbasids cannot be underestimated!” Li Siye said with deep emotion. “3,000 Abbasid soldiers not only broke through our defenses and captured Nishapur, matching the Tang forces in strength, but that commander Shahim also managed to lead his troops to escape right under my nose. It’s a great humiliation for me.”

Hearing Li Siye’s angry tone, Li Qing’an smiled slightly and said, “We’ve been fighting against the Abbasid forces for years. The armies of Khorasan are always their elite. Judging from their equipment, these 3,000 soldiers must be the finest among Khorasan’s elite. If even such an army performs only mediocrely, then what’s the point of fighting against the Abbasids? The key is that we must not underestimate them.”

Li Siye sighed and said, “You’re right, General. I did underestimate them a bit. Actually, I could have mobilized 20,000 troops to besiege the city, but I thought 10,000 would be enough. It was my underestimation that allowed the Abbasid commander to escape. I feel guilty!”

Li Qing’an patted his shoulder and said with a smile, “Let’s not talk about this. I want to see the effect of Thunderous Bomb.”

At the mention of Thunderous Bomb, Li Siye became energized and spurred his horse to take Li Qing’an toward the eastern part of the city.

The area where the eastern city wall had been blown down remained unchanged, with broken bricks and debris everywhere. A section of the wall was on the verge of collapse, and the breach was over ten zhang wide. The yellow sand inside the wall had poured out, forming a gentle slope through which the Tang forces rushed into the city.

“This Thunderous Bomb is truly extremely powerful. General, you don’t know how astonishing the explosion was that night—it shocked both sides fighting in the North City. They even stopped fighting for a moment, and many warhorses became panicked and ran around, injuring over a dozen of our men as a result.”
At this, Li Siye said worriedly, “The power of this gunpowder is too great. I’m afraid that if the secret gets out and the enemy also obtains this weapon, it will pose a serious threat to us.”
Li Qing’an nodded. “Your concern is valid. There’s no secret that can stay hidden forever. It’s indeed difficult to keep gunpowder a secret. That’s why I decide to use this weapon as little as possible. Secondly, we must keep it absolutely secret—no one other than our core generals should know what it is. I plan to create an opportunity to leak some information externally, claiming it’s a unique stone found only in the Kunlun Mountains, called Fire Thunder Stone, which explodes when exposed to fire.”
“Fire Thunder Stone? That’s clever of you. If An Lushan finds out, I don’t know how many men he’ll send to the Kunlun Mountains to search for this stone.”
The two continued talking as they climbed up the city wall through the gap. When they reached the North City, Li Qing’an slowly stopped and gazed at the distant mountains, lost in thought.
“What are you thinking about, General?” Li Siye asked as he stepped forward.
“I’m wondering why they attacked Sebo. What’s the purpose of that?”
“Actually, I’ve been thinking about that too. To be honest, it’s really surprising. Apart from losing 2,500 men, they gained nothing. Of course, they’ve tasted the power of the Thunderous Bomb. Maybe they want to test our combat strength.”
“No! It’s not that.”
Li Qing’an shook his head gently and said solemnly, “I’ve been pondering this for a long time. I think this must be Mansur’s scheme—a strategic plot of his.”
“A strategic plot?”
Li Siye was stunned. He didn’t understand what that meant and quickly asked, “Please explain in detail, General.”
Li Qing’an smiled faintly. “If we judge by common sense, given that Sebo was occupied, what measures would you take?”
“Strengthen defenses!” Li Siye replied without hesitation. “We must prevent something similar from happening again.”

“That’s exactly right! Most people would do the same—surely they would station heavy troops near Nishapur. Moreover, we tend to form a fixed mindset: since the enemy’s vanguard easily broke through Nishapur’s defenses, their main force must also attack from here. As a result, we would deploy our main forces along the middle reaches of the Amu Darya River, especially near Nishapur. Siye, where do you think the main force of the Abbasid army will attack from at that time?”
After hearing Li Qing’an’s analysis, Li Siye suddenly realized it and said with a punch, “I get it. They sent three thousand men to attack Nishapur to create an illusion and lure us into deploying our main forces here. But the real main force of the Abbasids will come from the north or the south. If they’re targeting Bactria, they’ll come from the south; if they’re targeting Transoxiana, they’re likely to come from the north. In any case, they definitely won’t take the central route.”
“You understand it very clearly. The problem for me now is that I can’t decide whether the Abbasid army’s main force will come from the north or the south, so I can’t deploy my troops properly.”
“What if we do this instead!”
After pondering for a moment, Li Siye said, “Instead of waiting for their main force to arrive, let’s cross the river directly, strike into Khorasan first, seize the initiative, and disrupt their troop deployment.”
“Let me think. Your plan might be a good one,” Li Qing’an said, his brows furrowed.
Just then, a group of cavalry appeared in the distance—about a hundred riders—rushing toward them at full speed. A few Tang soldiers went to meet them. After a while, one of the cavalry returned and reported, “General, an envoy from the Kingdom of Gasa seeks an audience.”
“The Kingdom of Gasa!” Li Qing’an was taken aback. What could they possibly want from him?
“Bring him in.”
Soon, several Tang soldiers brought in a valiant young man and a middle-aged man. Li Qing’an found the young man somewhat familiar; it seemed he was also present when he met Khan Bulan.
The young man stepped forward and bowed, saying, “Prince Broni of the Kingdom of Gasa greets the general!”
Li Qing’an bowed back and smiled, “So it’s you, Your Highness. No wonder I felt familiar—we’ve met before.”
Then Li Qing’an’s gaze shifted to the middle-aged man. He was a burly man with a large head and a thick beard. His eyes particularly impressed Li Qing’an—they held an unyielding gaze.
Li Qing’an’s thoughts returned, and he smiled at Prince Broni, “I wonder what the Kingdom of Gasa wants from me?”

Boroni took out a parchment letter and handed it to Li Qing’an. “This is a personal letter from my father to the Great General. Please take a look.” Li Qing’an opened the letter. In it, Khan Bran claimed that the Tang Dynasty and the Ghazna Khanate were brotherly nations, and out of brotherly loyalty, he offered to send 10,000 troops to assist the Tang army in attacking the Arabs. Li Qing’an couldn’t help but sneer inwardly. This enthusiasm from the Ghazna Khanate didn’t move him at all; instead, he saw through their true intentions. It was a nation adept at opportunism. From the beginning, to secure trade routes, they had sent 2,000 camel cavalry to follow him south to Xindu. Though their forces were small, they gained a favor in return. This time, their willingness to help him attack the Arabs was no different—it wasn’t out of so-called brotherly affection but for trade benefits. If the trade routes between the East and West shifted back to the Arabs, it would deal a heavy blow to the Jewish influence in the Ghazna Khanate. Moreover, by helping the Tang army defeat the Arabs, the Ghazna Khanate would rise to the rank of a great power, standing on equal footing with the Tang Empire, the Byzantine Empire, and the Arab Empire as a victorious nation. Since contacting the Ghazna Khanate, Li Qing’an had also learned about this nomadic people who had broken away from the Turks and gradually become Westernized through other channels. For a century, the Ghazna Khanate had been caught between the Romans and the Arabs. To avoid offending these two great powers, they dared not choose Christianity or Islam, and instead chose Judaism as a way to maintain balance between them. As the Ghazna Khanate grew stronger, they were no longer satisfied with playing a subordinate role; they wanted to be a prominent great power. This war between the Tang Dynasty and the Arabs was an opportunity for them to rise in the north by cooperating with the Tang Dynasty. This was the plan of the Ghazna Khanate. Thinking of this, Li Qing’an smiled. He neither agreed nor refused. Then, his gaze shifted once again to the middle-aged man, and he asked Boroni with a smile, “Who is this?” The middle-aged man stepped forward boldly, knelt on one knee before Li Qing’an, placed his hand on his chest, and said sincerely, “Alslan of Khwarazm offers his highest respects to the Great General of Anxi.” Li Qing’an was stunned. He knew about Khwarazm—it was the Huoxun State on the southern shore of the Aral Sea. It had also sought refuge with the Tang Dynasty and become a vassal state, its king appointed as the governor of Huoxun Prefecture by the Tang court. It was because of their submission that the territory of the Tang Dynasty once extended as far west as the Aral Sea.

But Khwarezm had been conquered by the Arabs fifty years ago and became one of their most loyal vassal states. How could there be another Khwarezm here?
The Prince of Gasa next to him explained, “Alslan is the son of the former king of Khwarezm. After Khwarezm was destroyed, Alslan fled with his father to the Gasa Khanate. He is still the king of Khwarezm and is determined to restore his kingdom. He has three thousand Khwarezmi cavalry, all loyal to him.”
Li Qingan suddenly understood. In this war against the Arabs, not only did the people of Gasa want to take advantage of the situation to rise, but the Khwarezmi also wanted to seize the chance to restore their kingdom.
Li Qingan’s sharp gaze fell once again on Alslan’s face, as if seeing through his thoughts. Alslan was already in tears. He knelt down and kowtowed heavily to Li Qingan, crying, “I was forced to leave my country at the age of one. I have been waiting for this day for fifty-four years. If Khwarezm can be restored, it is willing to submit to the Great Tang. I am willing to become a servant of Your Excellency, the Great General.”
With a glance, Li Qingan indeed saw a hint of anger in the eyes of Prince Broni of Gasa.
If Khwarezm submitted to the Great Tang after its restoration, what would be the status of the Gasa Khanate then?
……