Chapter 500: Deploying Troops in the River

Bukhara by the river—this was Li Qing’an’s third visit to this city. He had been here last time due to the conflict between Zoroastrians and Muslims; hatred had pushed the city to the brink of destruction. More than a year later, when he set foot in this historic city once again, he was surprised by the changes in the situation.

He remembered clearly how, back then, followers of the two religions clashed repeatedly over the foundation of a temple. He had dug a river to turn the land into an island, demolished the temple, and planted trees in its place, so that both sides could have a place to worship their deities.

Today, the river had been dug, with the Bukhara River splitting here and encircling the island. Although it was still winter, with frozen waters and bare trees on the island, one could imagine its lush appearance in spring. With no bridge leading to the island, it remained an isolated island. On days of worship, followers of both religions would scatter flowers into the river.

Over time, time itself solidified the rules and diluted hatred. What united the two groups was not only the several bridges over the Bukhara River but also the merchants of Bukhara. Though they also worshipped gods such as the Light God or Allah, their true deity was profit. It was the active efforts of these merchants that gradually revived this once silent city.

The gold and silver utensils and gemstone jewelry produced in Bukhara had always been highly sought-after goods by merchants. Now, there was another product: Bukhara paper. This paper was created with Li Qing’an’s special approval. Dozens of craftsmen from Bukhara went to Samarkand to learn papermaking techniques, and gradually, it became an industry.

Now, nearly a hundred workshops of various sizes in the city produced Bukhara paper. Its smooth and delicate surface made it comparable to the Chang’an paper of the Tang Dynasty, earning it the favor of people from the Abbasid Caliphate and Rome. Moreover, its short transportation distance reduced costs by half, giving it a significant price advantage over Tang paper. Gradually, Bukhara paper dominated the entire Western market, and even official documents in Samarkand began using it.

Accompanied by Qu Ning, the governor of Bukhara, Li Qingan inspected this city that had once seen its entire population flee by carriage. The position of governor for Bukhara was a significant measure implemented in June this year under Li Qingan’s orders by the Anxi Administrative Office—establishing governors to oversee governance in the countries of Transoxiana. The joint meeting system introduced after taking control of Transoxiana had long since become a formality; the kings of these countries had lost real power and were now merely symbols of their kingdoms. Even their limited authority over law and order had been transferred to the governors. This could be considered the most important step toward transforming these countries into administrative units.

Among the governors of Transoxiana, those of Samarkand and Bukhara were the most important. The governor of Samarkand was Luo Qiming, who had long been in charge of administrative coordination in Transoxiana. Qu Ning, the governor of Bukhara, was a middle-aged man in his forties who had originally been the magistrate of Nanyang County in Dengzhou. When Li Longji, at Li Qingan’s request, dispatched hundreds of officials from the mainland to serve in Anxi, nearly half of them gradually returned home. However, some refused to go back, and Qu Ning was one of them. He sold his land back home, moved his wife, children, and parents to Shuye, and decided to settle in Anxi permanently.

He was in charge of 5,000 Han immigrants in the state of Shi. He led these immigrants in hard work to establish Baishui County and Xinwan County north of Tuozhi City. His achievements were recognized by Li Qingan, and as a result, Qu Ning was transferred to serve as the governor of Bukhara.

This posed a new challenge for him, but within just a few months, Qu Ning had learned enough Sogdian to communicate with the locals.

As for Qu Ning’s achievements, Li Qingan saw clearly that this old city of Bukhara, scarred by past events, was once again sprouting new life.

“How are the relations between Zoroastrians and Muslims now? Do they interact?” Li Qingan asked with a smile.

“Reporting to the great general, we strongly support the moderates on both sides, enabling them to form councils that meet regularly to discuss various issues. This allows many problems to be prevented in advance. For example, last month, a Muslim youth eloped with a Zoroastrian girl, sparking accusations between two major families and nearly leading to violence. Fortunately, timely communication between the councils of both groups resolved the situation.”

Li Qingan asked curiously, “Where did that young couple go? Is there any news?”

“I heard he fled to Chang’an. In Chang’an, they are all Sogdians; there are no religious differences, and no one bothers them. But that’s not the case in Hexi. If two people want to get married, one must give up their faith, and their families also forbid it.” At this, Qu Ning sighed deeply and said, “What a troublesome religion!” Li Qing’an, however, smiled gently and said, “Director Qu, don’t underestimate this religious conflict. It’s key to whether our Tang Dynasty can rule Hexi for a long time. We need to gradually relocate 300,000 Han people there, encourage intermarriage between Han and non-Han peoples, and promote Han culture. In another ten years, Hexi can be renamed Hexi Circuit, with nine prefectures and thirty-two counties, along with a grand military governor’s office. By then, the direct road from Chang’an will lead straight to the banks of the Amu Darya.” Li Qing’an’s long-term plan excited Qu Ning greatly. Just as he was about to speak, a bodyguard outside the carriage reported, “General, General Li Siye has arrived.” Li Qing’an then said to Qu Ning with a smile, “I need to go see Li Siye. I’ll talk in detail with you about the affairs of Hexi region tonight. Also, regarding Luo Qiming, I’ll hold a meeting with you officials the day after tomorrow.” “Very well, then I won’t disturb the general any longer.” … Li Siye had come from Nesebo. The Tubo army’s occupation of Tocharistan had heightened unrest in Hexi, but due to mountain barriers, it wasn’t easy to advance from Tocharistan into Hexi. Tiemeng Pass was the only route from Tocharistan to Hexi. The Tang army stationed 10,000 elite soldiers at this strategic pass to prevent the Tubo from invading Hexi. In addition to Tiemeng Pass, the Hexi army also had 20,000 troops stationed in the states of Shi and Xiaoshi. At present, more than half of the 40,000 Tang troops in Hexi were stationed in these two places. Li Siye’s military governor’s office had also been moved to Nesebo. Hearing that Li Qing’an had arrived in Hexi, he came all the way from Nesebo. When Li Qing’an arrived at the military headquarters, Li Siye had been waiting for a long time. He hurriedly came out, knelt down halfway, and saluted militarily, saying, “Your humble servant, Li Siye, pays respects to His Highness Prince Zhao!” In Anxi, there was an unwritten rule regarding how to address Li Qing’an: ordinary Han people called him General, while non-Han people called him Prince Zhao. But Li Siye was different—he also addressed Li Qing’an as His Highness Prince Zhao. From this title, one could see Li Siye’s intentions. He firmly supported Li Qing’an’s bid for the imperial throne, so that as the second most powerful figure in Anxi, he could smoothly take over Li Qing’an’s position. As for what Li Qing’an thought, no one knew.

A bit more needs to be said here. The Tang army in Anxi was divided into two systems: the regular army and the garrison troops. The regular army was structured into six ranks—army, guard, battalion, brigade, unit, and fire unit—while the garrison troops were divided into three ranks: fortress commander, town commander, and garrison commander. Both the regular army and the garrison troops were part of Anxi’s formal military forces, under the control of the military authorities. In addition, there were local militia forces, which were part of the reserve force and under the control of the civil administration.

On the surface, it seemed that civil and military powers were separate, but in the Tang Dynasty, they were not. Civil officials could also oversee the regular army through the military supervision system, which was a fundamental institution of the Tang Dynasty. For example, Li Qing’an had once been supervised by Bian Lingcheng, but Li Qing’an restored the previous system of imperial censors overseeing the army, with inspectors dispatched by the Anxi Supervision Office to reside in various military units to oversee not only military discipline but also these generals who held military power.

Since Li Qing’an was a supreme general, the highest military rank among his subordinates was general. There were seven generals in total: Li Siye, Feng Changqing, Duan Xiushi, Li Guangbi, Li Fei Shouyu, Cui Qianyou, and Li Fei Yuanli. Among these seven generals, ordinary people ranked them according to the serial numbers given to them by Li Qing’an, but internally, the military was divided into three tiers: Li Siye, Feng Changqing, and Duan Xiushi were in the first tier; Li Guangbi and Li Fei Shouyu were in the second tier, while Cui Qianyou and Li Fei Yuanli were in the third tier.

The hierarchy in the Anxi army was very strict. So, if Li Qing’an succeeded in seizing the imperial throne, the new governor of Anxi would be chosen from among Li Siye, Feng Changqing, and Duan Xiushi—these three were already in a state of competition.

But there was another theory suggesting that Anxi might be divided into four regions in the future: Beiting Governorate, Anxi Governorate, Lingxi Governorate, and Hezhong Governorate, plus the governors of Toharistan and Xinde, making a total of six regional rulers.

Regardless of which plan prevailed, Li Siye would still be given important responsibilities. Li Qing’an also valued this veteran general from Anxi greatly and entrusted him with the task of fighting against the Arabs.

Li Qing’an quickly helped him up and said with a smile, “Siye, there’s no need for such formalities. We’re old comrades. It’s more friendly to be casual. Or call me ‘Supreme General.’ I really don’t like you calling me ‘Your Highness the Prince of Zhao.’”

Li Siye scratched his head awkwardly and laughed, “There are differences between superiors and subordinates. How can I be casual? Alright! I’ll call you Supreme General.”

“That’s right!”

Li Qing’an smiled and patted his shoulder. “Let’s go inside and talk.”

The two entered the room, where there was a large sand table representing Anxi. This was a treasure that Li Qing’an carried wherever he went, and it was no exception here in Hezhong.

After sitting down, Li Qing’an ordered tea to be served, and then he asked, “Let’s first talk about the Tibetans. Do they have any intention of attacking Tiemenguan?”

Li Siye shook his head and said, “Not yet, but we have spotted Tubo sentries several times. They crossed the Amu Darya River and are patrolling near Tienmen Pass. I estimate that around the turn of summer and autumn this year, the Tubo will invade Khwarazm.”
“Is that so? Why the turn of spring and summer? Why Khwarazm instead of Sindh? I’m very interested. Please explain.”
“Well… I believe the Tubo already consider Sindh to be within their grasp. Their real enemy is the Tang army, especially the Suiye Tang forces. So before attacking Sindh, they must eliminate any threats behind them. Attacking Suiye directly would be difficult, so I infer they’ll first strike Khwarazm to lure some of the Tang forces there, then launch a full-scale attack on Suiye. As for the turn of summer and autumn, on one hand, they need time to stabilize Bactria, and they must act before the harvest. On the other hand, the weather in Sindh is hot during that time, and as they are plateau warriors, they won’t be able to adapt. Therefore, I think they’ll strike Khwarazm in July or August.”
“Good! Very good!”
Li Qing’an smiled and clapped lightly. “Siye is becoming more insightful. But I still need to ask you—have you considered the Arabs?”
At the mention of the Arabs, Li Siye’s expression turned serious. He quickly walked to the sand table, picked up a wooden stick, and pointed to the west bank of the Amu Darya River in the territory of the Small History Kingdom. “Here, right here. I received intelligence just the day before yesterday—30,000 Arab troops have already arrived here. This is what worries me the most—the Arabs are about to get involved.”
“Then do you think the Arabs intend to deal with the Tubo or us?” Li Qing’an asked with a smile.
“I think they intend to deal with the Tubo and take Bactria from them. If that happens, we won’t have anything to say.”
“Then won’t the Arabs be afraid that we’ll cut off their supply lines?”
“Well…” Li Siye was stunned. He gave a wry smile and said, “General, I’m a bit confused. I still can’t grasp the overall situation.”
“Let me tell you!”
Li Qing’an took the wooden stick from his hand and pointed at Khorasan. “Originally, I planned to host a feast for the Arabs in Bactria, but unexpectedly, the Tubo showed up as an uninvited guest. Mansur must have realized this as well. I sent envoys to warn him not to act rashly. Of course, Mansur won’t heed my threats. He’s waiting for the most favorable moment—when both the Tang and Tubo armies are weakened. He might attack Khwarazm or Bactria, depending on the situation. So your troops in Khwarazm must remain stationary and not leave it undefended. As for Bactria…”

Li Qing’an sneered and said, “Actually, I never really took the Tibetans seriously. We have Thunderous Lightning—can the Tibetan army withstand that? The reason I’ve been hesitant to send troops to Khotan is to wait for the Tibetans to send more troops, preferably up to 200,000. Fighting on the plateau is disadvantageous for us, but fighting in Khotan suits my plans perfectly. I want to take advantage of this once-in-a-thousand-years opportunity to wipe out the Tibetans in Khotan, crippling them so severely that they won’t be able to recover for a hundred years.”

At this, Li Qing’an pointed at Bactria with his wooden staff and said, “Before I came to Khwarazm, I just received news. One of our scouting teams penetrated deep into Khotan and uncovered extremely important information—the Tibetan king will come to Khotan for an inspection in February. This way, we can trap them there and strike hard at them.”

Only then did Li Siyeh understand Li Qing’an’s overall strategy. It turned out that Khotan was just a decoy. No wonder Li Qing’an had been reluctant to attack Khotan. He felt ashamed of himself—he could plan individual battles, but he couldn’t orchestrate the overall strategy of the realm. Immediately, he asked urgently, “What about the Arabs? They have 70,000 troops in Khorasan. If they take advantage of the situation to attack Khotan, what should we do?”

Li Qing’an smiled and pointed north at Byzantium, saying, “I’ve already reached an agreement with Byzantium. In a few days, Byzantium will send a large force to the border of the Arabs to put pressure on them. If the Arabs really dare to attack Khotan, then Byzantium will send troops to Armenia.”