Chapter 28: Dismounting (1)

July was in full swing. The lush branches trembled gently, and the incessant caws of crows disrupted the tranquility of the summer afternoon.
Not far from Talas City, in an oasis, lay a massive army of about thirty thousand men. The commander of this army was none other than General Gao Xianzhi, who enjoyed great fame in the Western Regions. He had received imperial orders to set out from Anxi in April of the tenth year of the Tianbao era, aiming to strike first. After crossing the Pamir Mountains and traversing deserts over three months, the Tang-Tibetan allied forces arrived outside Talas City, under the control of the Arabs, in July.
This army included twenty thousand elite Han soldiers, along with ten thousand troops from the Bakhtrians and Göktürks, representing all the best forces the Anxi Protectorate could muster.
In this battle, Gao Xianzhi intended to venture deep into enemy territory, wipe them out completely, and ensure eternal peace along the Tang Dynasty’s borders in Anxi!
Since ancient times, wars have been common, and military strength has always been valued. Marching thousands of miles, he sought to subdue both enemy tribes in one go.
With the sword in hand, he would traverse the deserts, and songs would fill the imperial capital. He urged all generals in the land to achieve military glory!
This battle against the Arabs was one Gao Xianzhi must fight—and win!
He had every reason to be confident. Excluding the Göktürks and Bakhtrians, his twenty thousand core Han soldiers were equipped with luxuriously fine weapons.
This main force of Anxi included twelve thousand five hundred infantry, over six thousand cavalry, and more than two thousand support troops. Among the twelve thousand infantry alone, seven thousand five hundred wore the Mingguang armor—the most luxurious armor in the Tang army!
With such elite troops, Gao Xianzhi was confident enough to confront the Arabs’ most proud cavalry formations! (Note 1) Of the seven thousand five hundred armored soldiers, nearly two thousand five hundred were Mo Dao warriors, the finest troops in the Tang army, led by Deputy General Li Siyeh. Each of these warriors carried a bow and thirty arrows at their waists, along with a long-handled Mo Dao sword and a long spear slung across their backs.
The Mo Dao sword was incredibly deadly—its power remained unchanged whether used in formation or in close combat. Gao Xianzhi had already used Li Siyeh’s Mo Dao troops successfully in the conquest of Xiaobolü.
This was his trump card: if the Arabs dared to attack his main force head-on, those two thousand five hundred Mo Dao swords could turn them and their horses into flesh paste!
The remaining armored soldiers also carried a bow and thirty arrows, a long spear, and a heavy sword with a broken handle. Though their equipment was not as advanced as that of the Mo Dao warriors, it was still among the best among the Tang army’s infantry in various border towns.

Even among the remaining 5,000 light infantrymen, the equipment was well-proportioned. Of these, 2,500 were equipped with one bow, 30 arrows, one heavy sword with a broken handle, one long spear, and one square leather shield. The other 2,500 light infantrymen also had one bow and 30 arrows each. To maintain the army’s combat capability, he ordered the sergeants to carry a larger quiver on their backs, containing 100 arrows, along with a crossbow and a long spear. With such a powerful infantry force, how could he lack confidence? As for the cavalry, Gao Xianzhi had no worries at all. Not only did each soldier carry a long spear, a round shield, a bow, and 30 arrows, but he also provided them with one long sword and one short sword each. Thus, the cavalry’s combat readiness was excellent! “Xiu Shi, have there been any replies from the men you sent?” Gao Xianzhi stroked his beard gently and smiled as he addressed a burly officer with a stern face. This was Duan Xiu Shi, another commander in the Tang-Tibetan allied forces. Though he was just in his early thirties, in the Anxi army, Old Duan held a status second only to Gao Xianzhi and Li Siyue. Even Feng Changqing, whom Gao Xianzhi had painstakingly trained as his successor, would bow respectfully and address him as “Elder Duan.” For this expedition against the Arabs, Gao Xianzhi naturally entrusted Duan Xiu Shi with an important task: commanding the 6,000 most mobile cavalrymen in the army. Of course, Duan Xiu Shi also had the responsibility of assigning scouts. The Arabs, unlike the Turks and Turkic Khazars, placed great emphasis on gathering intelligence, and they were also very skilled at counter-scouting. To learn about the defenses around Talas City and the camps where the Arab main forces were stationed, significant effort was required. For this mission, Duan Xiu Shi assigned over 500 scouts. While the main army rested in the oasis, these scouts crossed mountains and ridges to gather the information the Tang army needed most urgently. Duan Xiu Shi nodded at Gao Xianzhi and took a map of the area around Talas City from one of his attendants. “Commander Gao, take a look. We’re currently at Wusun Sea, a shallow marsh just 50 li away from Talas City. It has abundant water sources and could serve as a major base for our Anxi army.” Gao Xianzhi nodded. “Good. After this long journey, we only have enough grain for two months. With the abundant water here at Wusun Sea, we can order the cooks and the baggage troops to fish there to reduce grain consumption.”

Although Gao Xianzhi was confident in achieving a quick victory, as a military commander, he could not anticipate every possible situation. The city of Talas was now under the actual control of the Arabs, which would inevitably disadvantage the army’s supply lines. If a decisive victory was not possible, he needed to have a plan for retreat. For now, Wusun Sea seemed to be a crucial stronghold for the Tang army.

Duan Xiushi pointed upward from Wusun Sea and finally circled the location of Baishui City with a charcoal pen: “About two hundred li from Wusun Sea lies Baishui City. Its ruler, Jie Erzhi, was once enthroned by the emperor at the end of the Kaiyuan era. If Commander Gao sends an envoy there to win over the ruler of Baishui City, the Arabs would have a sharp sword at their back!”

“Hmm.”

Gao Xianzhi responded briefly but remained silent. He certainly understood Duan Xiushi’s point. Although his army was absolutely elite, they were at a severe numerical disadvantage. Among the countries in the Western Regions, aside from Bahanna and the roughly allied Grassland tribes of the Gelao, almost all barbarian states had turned to the Arabs. And the reason these rulers defected was allegedly his, Gao Xianzhi’s, brutality and tyranny in killing their people!

Hmph, what a convenient accusation!

If he were a cruel beast, who in these Western Regions could be considered innocent? The king of Shiguo had first shown disrespect to the Anxi army—could he, as a high-ranking general of a superior state, not teach such a vassal king a lesson?

As for the massacre in Shiguo, the fault lay entirely with the king’s stubborn resistance. If he had surrendered and asked for execution, Gao Xianzhi wouldn’t have ordered the massacre of the entire city…

But since things had already happened, he needed to consider the most pressing factor: the size of his army.

This battle was crucial for the Arabs’ interests in the River Region, and they took it very seriously. They sent 30,000 elite troops from their capital, along with 50,000 troops from the vassal states in Khorasan, plus troops from 36 other barbarian tribes—claiming a total of 200,000 men. Even before the battle, the Arab commander Abu Muslim boasted that he would crush the Tang army.

Although this figure wasn’t entirely accurate, it at least illustrated the Arabs’ formidable strength. Those who follow righteousness gain many allies, while those who abandon it have few. Even if these barbarian states were weak, they could still be used to test and wear down the Tang army’s strength. After several exchanges, once the Arabs understood the layout of the Tang forces, they could launch an attack—making things much more difficult for the Tang side.

But if he could gain the support of a few of these barbarian states at this time, even just a few, it would give him a two-to-one advantage and significantly undermine the morale of the Arab coalition.

Among these thirty-six kingdoms in the Western Regions, the city lord of Baishui City is the most likely to be persuaded.
“Then, Xiushi should send a trustworthy subordinate to Baishui City via a detour. But this matter must remain secret! Remember that!”
Gao Xianzhi finally sighed deeply: “I hope the city lord of Baishui City still remembers the kindness shown by the Emperor in the past. With his help, we will surely win this battle!”
Note 1: During the Tang Dynasty, metallurgical techniques were improved; the cupping steel method replaced the repeated forging method, making iron battle knives sharper. The Tang army abandoned the full armor of the Wei and Jin dynasties and developed the Tang Thirteen Armors, represented by the Mingguang Armor, which was lighter in weight but offered improved protection. However, such armor was extremely luxurious, and only officers above the rank of colonel were eligible to wear it.