Chapter 411: Annihilation

If the Abbasid army had been stationed in the south of the city, Li Qing’an might have hesitated. After all, the Abbasid forces still outnumbered the Tang forces by more than half, and the vast desert terrain in the south gave them an advantage, leaving the Tang army at a disadvantage. But the north was different.

There was no desert terrain in the north; further north lay the Aral Sea Delta, and to the west was the Amu Darya River. It was only fifty li west of the river that the Karakum Desert began, while to the east lay semi-arid grasslands, with the Kyzyl Kum Desert stretching another hundred li away.

It was this favorable terrain that enabled Li Qing’an to resolve to launch a surprise attack on the Abbasid army. He couldn’t allow them to retreat. To achieve his strategy, he had to wipe out these hundred thousand troops completely.

On the vast, endless semi-arid desert, 25,000 Tang cavalry charged like a storm. The pounding of hooves on the ground and the swirling dust formed a sandstorm that swept toward the Abbasid camp.

The Abbasid soldiers had just returned to camp, exhausted, and had not yet had dinner. Some were treating their wounds, while others lay down to sleep in their clothes. None of them could have imagined that the Tang army would launch a sudden attack so soon after a major battle. Normally, even if the war continued, pursuit should have occurred only after they retreated, not at this moment.

Alarms blared in the Abbasid camp—“Dang! Dang!”—their shrill sound causing chaos. The wounded soldiers screamed and cried, begging their comrades to take them away.

At that moment, Haman and Sheikh rushed out of the camp, their faces pale with fear. The charging Tang cavalry was only three li away. The overwhelming aura of violence almost suffocated them. Haman trembled with fear, unable to speak a word. Sheikh, in desperation, shouted, “Hurry! Use the ballistae to attack!”

“General Sheikh, the ballistae are under repair and cannot be used.”

“Damn it! Then use bows and arrows! Pass my orders—archers from the Seventh and Eighth Legions, move to the front of the camp to resist! The main force, mount up and prepare for battle!”

Orders were passed down, and thousands of archers rushed to the front of the camp. By then, the massive Tang cavalry was charging like a raging tide, moving at lightning speed. They were now less than a li away from the Abbasid camp. Their dark armor gleamed in the sunlight, and their dense ranks of spears resembled a forest. The sound of hooves was like thunder rolling across the land. A single cavalryman charging with momentum was as terrifying as a hundred charging together. But now, it was 25,000 cavalrymen galloping across the endless desert—like a herd of wild bulls in ancient times, dominating the landscape.

Only three hundred steps left. In panic, the Abbasid army began shooting arrows. Three thousand arrows were fired at once, forming a net in the air. The Tang army raised their shields, waved their long spears with one hand, and their battle cries shook the heavens. Continuously, Tang warhorses were hit and fell, and Tang cavalry were also struck by arrows, screaming as they tumbled from their horses. But after just one round of shooting, the Tang cavalry rushed forward, leaving the archers no chance to turn and flee. In an instant, the massive Tang cavalry charged into the Abbasid archers like a force that could crush anything, sweeping through the enemy ranks like a raging storm, trampling the Abbasid archers under their hooves, slashing necks with swords, and piercing chests with spears. They slaughtered and destroyed everything in their path.

Then, with a loud crash, 25,000 Tang cavalry and 45,000 Abbasid cavalry who had not yet fully formed their formations collided violently. The two armies engaged in a fierce battle. The wounded were left unattended; unable to fight, they scattered in all directions, seeking survival.

The Tang cavalry were organized into groups of ten, squads of a hundred, battalions of five hundred, and armies of five thousand, each fighting within its own area. At the core were 10,000 of the most fierce cavalry from both sides. They were all tall and strong, acting like two iron fists that struck the chaotic Abbasid army from both flanks. Their task was to cut the Abbasid forces apart and disrupt them, while the other cavalry units surrounded and slaughtered the separated Abbasid cavalry, using their numerical advantage. The tactics were simple yet well-structured. Li Qing’an, the Tang army’s commander, personally led 5,000 archers and cavalry, charging back and forth on the periphery. Each of them carried five pots of arrows on their horses and three bows. Their arrows flew like thunder, and their shots were as numerous as locusts, killing enemies at the edges.

Li Qing’an rode like the wind, drawing his bow like a full moon, and shooting arrows like meteors. He targeted Abbasid officers, and with each arrow, an officer would scream as he fell from his horse. In just a moment, he had used up three pots of arrows, having killed a hundred officers.

The commander’s skilled archery greatly boosted the Tang army’s morale. The drumbeats roared like thunder, inspiring the Tang soldiers to fight bravely. Although they had only half as many troops as the enemy, they forced the Abbasid army to retreat step by step. The Abbasid commander, Haman, had already disappeared. Only Sheikh was left to lead the Abbasid cavalry in a desperate fight against the Tang army. Under Sheikh’s strong leadership, the Abbasid cavalry gradually stabilized their positions and divided into four units to engage in a bloody battle with the Tang army.

The battle raged from afternoon until late at night, with the battlefield shifting ten miles westward to the banks of the Amu Darya River. By then, the Abbasid cavalry had been reduced to 20,000 men, while the Tang army had lost over 10,000 soldiers, suffering nearly half its losses. Generally, an army would retreat if it lost 30% of its troops or collapse if it lost 50%. Yet both armies defied this norm. They were well aware that whoever lost today would perish, and whoever held out would be the winner—a mindset deeply ingrained in every officer and soldier. Neither the Tang nor the Abbasid forces dared to retreat; they fought with all their might.

The battle was extremely fierce. Six out of the seven Abbasid legion commanders had been killed, leaving only two legions intact. Even their commander-in-chief, Harman, was killed by an arrow fired by Li Qing’an amidst the chaos, whose men then beheaded him. The Tang army also lost five senior generals. Bai Xiaode was pierced in the abdomen by a spear, his intestines spilling out, causing him to faint. He was rescued by his own guards at great risk. Even the Tang commander-in-chief, Li Qing’an, was hit in the left shoulder by an enemy arrow, causing heavy bleeding. He bandaged himself briefly but refused to withdraw, knowing it would severely demoralize his troops. As long as he remained, he could inspire them to fight to the end.

Harman’s death did not dampen the Abbasid troops’ morale. They had already chosen the well-organized Sheikh as their new commander, placing all their hopes on him. Yet even he was on the verge of collapse, having been hit by three arrows, one of which struck his left eye, nearly knocking him unconscious. He still managed to persevere and refuse to retreat.

By now, both sides were exhausted, on the brink of collapse, depending on who could hold out the longest. Just then, like a cunning wolf, an army suddenly attacked the Abbasid forces from behind at the critical moment. This was Li Fei Yuanli’s 3,000 elite cavalry. They did not wait for the Abbasid supply troops but took advantage of the bloody cavalry battle between the two armies. Li Fei Yuanli had been lying in wait by the Amu Darya River, never revealing himself until he saw an opportunity. Finally, when both sides were nearly exhausted, his 3,000 fresh troops charged out.

Li Fei Yuanli’s 3,000 cavalry were the final straw that broke the Abbasid forces. In the darkness, the 3,000 Tang cavalry charged with unstoppable momentum, turning the battlefield into a river of blood. Like the sharpest dagger, they plunged into the Abbasid forces’ back, causing them to collapse. Li Fei Yuanli roared like thunder, his sword slashing through the air, killing countless Abbasid soldiers as cries of agony filled the air. The Abbasid left-wing commander, Rashel, flew into a rage. He roared, swung his spear, and charged at Li Fei Yuanli.

“Perfect! Just what I need to go with my drink.” Li Fei Yuanli chuckled, dodging his spear with a swift movement before slashing at his neck with a blade as fast as lightning. The poor legion commander Lashel was already exhausted from fighting and couldn’t avoid Li Fei Yuanli’s strike. With a “thud,” Lashel’s head was cut in half, and his dead body was dragged away by his horse as Li Fei Yuanli laughed triumphantly.

With the last legion commander killed, the left wing of the Abbasid army began to collapse, quickly affecting the right wing as well. The Abbasid cavalry scattered in disarray. Sheikh realized the battle was lost. With a deep sigh, he cried out to the sky, “The Abbasid Empire is doomed!”

At that moment, his single eye suddenly spotted the Tang army’s flag. His spirit was revived, and the last remnants of his strength were fueled by a desire—to kill Li Qingan. Even if they lost this battle, the Arabs could still claim victory overall.

Holding his spear, he shouted at the three hundred cavalrymen who still followed him, “Follow me to kill Li Qingan!”

They charged toward the Tang army’s flag. Thousands of Tang soldiers surrounded them, but Sheikh fought his way through desperately. Now less than fifty steps away from the flag, he charged alone toward it. But it was dark, and the thousands of Tang soldiers moving back and forth under the flag made it impossible for him to see Li Qingan clearly with his single, blurry eye. In frustration, he roared in Turkic, “Li Qingan, where are you…?”

Before he could finish, his throat burned violently as an arrow pierced it. Finally, he saw clearly—a Tang general wearing a golden helmet stood fifty steps away, holding a large bow and staring at him coldly.

“Are you looking for me?” Li Qingan’s face showed no emotion.

Dozens of bodyguards rushed forward to kill Sheikh, but Li Qingan waved them off. “Let him die in peace.”

Sheikh could no longer speak. He gripped the arrow shaft and looked up at the sky. A bright crescent moon hung in the velvet-like night sky, shining brightly. He remembered—it seemed to be the New Year for the Easterners.

His vision blurred again as he looked at Li Qingan and managed to utter his last words, “To die at your hands is my honor!”

With that, he fell off his horse. Li Qingan rode forward, silently watching his tenacious opponent. After a long moment, he sighed softly and ordered, “Bury him according to Arab customs!”

Both sides had expected a battle that would last months, but it ended in just one day. The speed of the war surprised everyone, yet its brutality was the worst seen in the years of conflict between the Tang Dynasty and the Arabs. Both sides used the most violent weapons, pushing slaughter to its extreme. Of the 100,000 Arab troops, fewer than a hundred managed to escape the desert and return to Damascus. The entire Arab force was annihilated—90,000 soldiers, including their commanders, died, with only over 10,000 wounded captured. Meanwhile, 12,000 of the Tang troops died and 7,000 were wounded, and even more than half of the 3,000 troops of the Khwarazmian king were killed or injured. Historians from both countries later named this battle the “Samarra Massacre,” but its impact was profound. It left the Arabs unable to cross the Amu Darya River again, completely changing the landscape of Central Asia. On the 15th day of the first month in the second year of the Dali era, Li Qing’an led his troops back to Hexiang. He went to Nishapur and personally wrote a letter to Caliph Mansur, who was stationed on the other side of the Amu Darya River. “I hope we can sit down and have a proper conversation!”