Chapter 408: The Siege Battle (Part 1)

The commander of the Arab army, Haman al-Barmak, was also a proud member of the prestigious Barmakid family of Persia. He was the brother of Khalid, the most powerful man in the empire. At just 32 years old, he had already become the governor of Iraq under the Abbasid dynasty. He had participated in the famous Battle of the Tigris and the siege of Damascus. After the city fell, he personally led 5,000 warriors to capture the Damascus palace. His noble birth, elegant upbringing, and exceptional military talent enabled him to become the leader of the Abbasid caliph’s guard at the age of 28. When Mansur ascended to the throne, he quickly became the highly sought-after governor of Iraq.

Undoubtedly, his rapid rise was greatly attributed to his noble background. The Barmakids were considered the most honorable family in the Abbasid empire, adding a diamond-like luster to Haman’s reputation. Young, handsome, elegant, and of high status, wherever he appeared at elite social gatherings in Damascus, he became the center of attention, surrounded and favored by numerous noblewomen.

This time, Haman replaced Ziyad as the commander of the Arab expeditionary force—a move carefully planned by Mansur. Both Haman and Ziyad were of Persian origin. If Haman could achieve remarkable victories on the battlefield, he could replace Ziyad as a symbol of glory for the Khurasanians.

However, Khalid firmly opposed his brother taking on the role of expeditionary commander. He knew well that Haman was not fit to challenge Li Qing’an. Li Qing’an and the Arab army had fought countless battles and knew their tactics inside and out, while Haman had no experience fighting against the Tang army. Despite his military talent, he was no match for Li Qing’an.

Khalid’s strong opposition made Mansur hesitant as well. But Abu Muslim, the only one capable of competing with Li Qing’an, had already been killed by him. If not Haman, then who could take on this responsibility?

After much persuasion from Mansur, Khalid finally agreed to let Haman serve as commander, but on one condition: he recommended Sheikh, the former deputy governor of Syria, as Haman’s deputy. As the commander of the second Syrian army corps, Sheikh had participated in the Battle of Talas. He had escaped capture alongside Muslim and returned to Syria to serve as deputy governor. He possessed rich combat experience, but during the internal strife in the Abbasid dynasty at the beginning of the year, he sided with the wrong party, joining Ali’s uncle against Mansur. After Ali’s defeat, Sheikh was dismissed from all his positions and exiled back to his hometown.

Khalid, aware of his experience and abilities, recommended him as Haman’s deputy. Although Mansur was displeased, he ultimately agreed to this arrangement. After nearly one and a half months of marching, Haman finally led his army to the Amu Darya River. At that time, a few defeated soldiers returned, and Haman learned that the Tang forces had occupied Khwarezm. He also learned that the Tang commander in Khwarezm was Li Qing’an. At this point, Haman did not rush to cross the Amu Darya River; he was waiting for Sheikh’s arrival. It was not out of respect for his deputy Sheikh—on the contrary, as a man of noble birth, he had never regarded the lowly-born Sheikh seriously. Moreover, their factions were different: the Barmakids were Shiites, while Sheikh was a Sunni Muslim. This further fueled Haman’s strong dislike for Sheikh, which also stemmed from his dissatisfaction with his brother. Haman waited for Sheikh because all the supplies and provisions were in Sheikh’s rear army, so he had no choice but to wait. Three days later, Sheikh’s 40,000-strong rear army arrived in Wind City and joined Haman’s main force. Thus, the Arab army’s total strength reached 100,000 troops, creating a formidable force. Yet Sheikh was worried and rushed to see Haman as soon as he arrived in Wind City. “Your Highness, Emir, haven’t you received my letter?” Six days earlier, Sheikh had written to Haman. Since the Tang forces had already figured out the caliph’s tactics, he suggested that the main army should temporarily withdraw to the Caspian Sea and wait for the caliph’s next decision. Sheikh was about fifty years old, short in stature, and unattractive, in sharp contrast to Haman’s elegant appearance. But Sheikh was a battle-hardened general with extensive combat experience and was very cautious. He believed that a battle could not be resolved in a day or two; it might last months or even a year. When necessary, strategies had to be adjusted promptly based on changing circumstances. Initially, he supported Mansur’s strategy of using the Khorasan army to hold off the Tang forces while the main Arab army entered Khwarezm to secure food supplies, then moved south along the Amu Darya River to launch a surprise attack on Transoxiana. This was indeed a brilliant strategy that would put the Tang forces in a difficult position on both fronts. However, the prerequisite for this strategy was that it not be seen through by the Tang forces. Once discovered, the Arab army would be in extreme danger, and strategies would then need to be changed.

Although Sheikh hoped this strategy would ultimately succeed, the reality was that Tang Jun had seen through it. Tang Jun had already taken the lead by occupying Khwarezm, creating a serious problem in their original plan—they were likely to run out of food supplies from Khwarezm, leaving their hundred-thousand-strong army in a difficult dilemma.

Haman gave him a cold glance. The foul odor emanating from this ugly old man made him feel nauseous. His physical disgust filled him with aversion toward Sheikh. Though Sheikh showed him great respect and dared not defy his wishes, that didn’t change Haman’s prejudice against him—a prejudice largely rooted in his dissatisfaction with his elder brother, Khalid, who had firmly opposed him from becoming the commander of the expedition. Haman could never forgive this.

“I don’t understand what you’re saying, General Sheikh.”

Haman despised Sheikh, but he still maintained a polite demeanor, a result of his refined upbringing. Roaring like a thunderstorm was the behavior of inferiors, something he disdained.

Sheikh urged, “Your Highness, the Amir, our food supplies will last at most half a month. If Tang Jun occupies Khwarezm, we’ll have no supplies left and will be in a very precarious position.”

“It’s your responsibility for bringing insufficient food. I hope you understand that, General Sheikh!” Haman’s tone remained icy, as if discussing something entirely unrelated to him.

Sheikh was speechless. Although it was his decision on how much food to bring, Haman was a staunch advocate of heavy weapons. He insisted on bringing a large number of heavy weapons, which took up too much space in the baggage, forcing them to carry less food. Now, this spoiled noble was shifting the blame onto him. Sheikh grew angry.

Just as Haman looked down on him, he also despised this nobleman hailed as the “Star of Imperial Generals.” He called Haman a spoiled brat because he spent his days indulging in high-society parties instead of eating and living with his soldiers, not even pretending to do so. His military achievements consisted merely of leading his troops to capture the Damascus palace after its fall, earning him a dazzling reputation as a great general. He had desecrated the term “great general.” Sheikh always admired Abu Muslim’s saying: “A true great general isn’t someone who can kill a few enemies, but someone for whom many soldiers are willing to die.”

Sheikh suppressed his anger and said, “Our march will take us through the Karakum Desert, where there are no supplies along the way. No matter how much food we bring, it’s pointless. The Caliph decided to head to Khwarezm first to obtain supplies before moving south to Transoxiana. But now that the Tang army has occupied Khwarezm, our supply plan has failed. Should we not change our plans and retreat to the Caspian Sea to wait for a new strategy? If we proceed recklessly without any knowledge of the enemy, we are doomed to defeat.”

“Who says I don’t know anything about the Tang army?” Haman raised his voice, displeased with Sheikh’s tone toward him. “What do you know since you just arrived? The Tang army has only 30,000 men, and their commander, Li Qing’an, is in Khwarezm. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. If we capture Li Qing’an, all the occupied lands in Transoxiana and Sindh will be restored. We have 100,000 troops—three times as many as the Tang army. Yet you still speak such disheartening words. General Sheikh, I’m ashamed of you!”

Sheikh could no longer contain his anger. Losing his sanity, he waved his arms and shouted, “Li Qing’an is a sweet bait, meant to trick you, you big fool!”

“Shut up!” Haman, enraged, slammed the table and stood up. His slender chest heaved violently as he glared at Sheikh and said slowly, “I’m telling you one last time: I am the commander. I decide how to fight. If you dare overstep your authority again, I’ll kill you!”

……

Just as the Arabs were about to cross the Amu Darya River, preparations for war in Khiva were in full swing. In the past two days, Li Qing’an had received two encouraging messages. One was that 60,000 elite Tang troops from Suyab had arrived in Transoxiana, with 20,000 of them supporting the Tang forces in Nishapur, while the remaining 40,000 were heading to Khwarezm to support Commander Li Qing’an’s military operations.

Another encouraging message was personal—his wife Mingyue had given birth to a son. The entire city of Suyab celebrated, and the military there quickly sent the news to Transoxiana via carrier pigeons. Li Siyeh immediately ordered messengers to deliver the news to Khwarezm at top speed.

This news filled Li Qing’an with joy. He immediately ordered that the treasures of 20 Muslim families captured, along with half of Khwarezm’s national treasury, be distributed as rewards to the troops, so that all Tang soldiers could share in his happiness. The troops cheered loudly, and their morale soared.

Early in the morning, Li Qing’an went to the city walls to inspect the repairs. Khwarezm had the best builders in the world, and their capital, Samarkand, was considered one of the strongest cities in the realm. Twenty thunderous explosions occurred almost simultaneously, only destroying some of the battlements and catapult platforms on the surface of the walls, leaving the main structure intact. The main focus was on repairing the city gates; when the massive battering rams struck the gates, the surrounding walls suffered slight damage.

“General, take a look at these bricks—they’re truly remarkable!”
Bai Xiaode stepped forward to a piece of bluestone brick, gently tapping it. The large stone was ten feet long, five feet wide, and three feet high, smooth and flat as if cut with a knife.

“I truly admire them. Where did they get this stone? It’s surrounded by deserts, yet their craftsmen can fit the stones together so tightly that tens of thousands of them piled up form a stone mountain.”

Li Qing’an nodded. Looking at the thousands of workers busy with the repairs, he said, “After the war, we can take some of these craftsmen back and have them teach the art of building stone cities to the Tang Dynasty. Their systems for supplying water and managing drainage—using clay pipes to bring water into the city—are indeed excellent and worth learning from.”

Li Qing’an climbed up the city walls again. Tens of thousands of laborers were transporting large stones there, including Zoroastrians and Muslims. Though they both worked hard, their motives were different. The Zoroastrians were defending their city and their hard-earned dignity, while the Muslims were trying to earn more food to support their families. They received only half the rations of the Zoroastrians each day; if they didn’t work to earn more food, their entire families would go hungry.

The large stones came from the demolition of the palace and the homes of twenty wealthy Muslim families—over a hundred thousand stones in total. These were to be used as weapons for catapults. On the flattened northern city wall, various fortifications were being repaired urgently, mainly to rebuild the battlements and install large catapults. This time, the Tang army brought fifty heavy catapults, placed on four different sections of the walls, allowing them to launch projectiles over a thousand paces. There were also two hundred crossbows. With each soldier carrying three pots of arrows, there were over three million arrows in total—everything was well-prepared.

At that moment, Li Qing’an suddenly saw Alarslan from the city walls. He appeared in an alley near the northern city wall, dressed in a white silk robe edged with gold, wearing a golden crown and holding a scepter. Under the strict protection of dozens of guards, he was visiting his people house by house. Alarslan had gained the support of the Zoroastrians and had officially ascended the throne three days earlier. During his coronation, he had almost been assassinated by a Muslim, who harbored deep hatred for him—a strange mentality, as they did not hate the Tang army that had occupied Khwarezm but rather Alarslan for betraying their interests and bringing disaster upon them.

“General, shall we go take a look?” Bai Xiaode asked with a smile.

Li Qing’an shook his head. “He’s the king now. If I go, he’ll have to bow to me, which will affect his authority among the people. Forget it. I’ll talk to him about resettling the immigrants this afternoon. I think it shouldn’t be a problem to recruit another 30,000 conscripts to help us defend the city!”

Bai Xiaode thought for a moment. “It shouldn’t be a big issue. There are over 300,000 people in the city, 200,000 of whom are Zoroastrians. Selecting 30,000 conscripts from them shouldn’t be a problem.”

Just then, Li Fei Yuanli stepped forward quickly, bowed, and said, “General, are you calling for me?”

Li Qing’an put his arm around Li Fei Yuanli’s shoulder, pulled him aside, and asked in a low voice with a smile, “Well? Is the crown okay?”

Li Fei Yuanli grinned. “It’s good. I especially like the gems on the crown. I never expected the general to give me the queen’s jewelry as well. Thank you on behalf of my wife.”

Li Qing’an smiled slightly. “The jewelry is a reward for maintaining military discipline. I was worried you might let your soldiers go wild, taking advantage of the opportunity to drive out the Khwarezmians by committing rape and looting. To my surprise, there were only ten cases of rape, and you punished them severely in public, showing strict discipline. This proves you’ve improved. Your reflection in Ningyuan Country was effective. Old Li, you’ve passed my test.”

Li Fei Yuanli’s eyes widened, and he couldn’t close his mouth for a long time. He never expected that being sent to the Aral Sea Delta was actually a test from Li Qing’an.

“General, this… this…”

He couldn’t speak a complete sentence for a while. Li Qing’an patted his shoulder and said with a smile, “No need for ‘this’ or ‘that’. I wouldn’t tell you in advance if I were testing you. Now, I have a new task for you.”

Li Fei Yuanli perked up and straightened his back. “I know what the task is. I’ll definitely cut off their supply lines and won’t disappoint the general.”

“Very good! I’ll give you three thousand cavalry with two horses each. If you can destroy the Arabs’ supply lines, I’ll make you the governor of Gaochang, the commander of Ganzhou, and the supreme general. But if you fail, bring me your head!”
…
At noon the next day, scouts brought news that the Arab army of one hundred thousand had crossed the Amu Darya River. Shiwa was only twenty li away from the river, meaning the main force of the Arabs had arrived.
Li Qing’an immediately rushed to the city walls and looked into the distance. At that moment, the drums on the walls began to beat—this meant the Tang army’s watchtower had spotted the Arab forces. The watchtower was a twenty-zhang-tall spire reaching into the clouds, with a platform at its top that could hold two people. Two Tang soldiers with excellent eyesight served as observers there.
Li Qing’an also saw it. At the far edge of the western sky should have been the bright, icy surface of the river, but its reflection was no longer visible. Only a thin black line, several li long, covered almost the entire river surface. As the black line drew closer, the vast yellow desert turned into a black ocean. This was an elite force of one hundred thousand Arabs from Syria, Iraq, and Armenia—cavalry and infantry alike. The loud drums echoed as ten armies of ten thousand each advanced like an overwhelming tidal wave, their footsteps syncing with the rhythm of the drums, shaking the earth. Their dense ranks of spears formed a forest that stretched as far as the eye could see. A huge black flag embroidered with stars and a crescent moon fluttered above the spears. Behind the troops followed tens of thousands of camels, carrying food, water, tents, and various supplies.
Looking at those tens of thousands of camels, Li Qing’an suddenly realized he had miscalculated—the Arabs were not short of food after all.
The Abbasid dynasty favored black. The hundred-thousand-strong army began setting up camp ten li away. As far as the eye could see, there were black and dark red tents everywhere, forming a massive crescent-shaped formation—this was Haman’s style. He never surrounded an entire city but instead focused on one side, using his strongest and most advantageous forces to crush the enemy’s defenses.