Chapter 219: Conquering the Yuechi

July was the hottest season of the year in Toharistan, with scorching heat rolling across the land like flames, baking everything in its path. Yet near Ahuan City, the capital of the Yuechi governorship, a devastating battle was unfolding in the vast Gobi Desert. Seven thousand Tang Anxi cavalrymen, wielding their swords and flags flying high, chased after thousands of fleeing Yuechi troops. Arrows rained down from all sides, pursuing the defeated soldiers relentlessly. Countless people cried out in agony as they fell from their horses; their screams of fear and pleas for mercy were drowned out by the thundering sound of hooves. A Yuechi soldier raised his hands and knelt on the ground, begging for mercy. A Tang army officer rushed over, shouting loudly, and swung his sword horizontally, slicing through the soldier’s shoulder and mercilessly beheading him. He then tied the head to his horse and rode off to hunt down the next target.

This was the beginning of Gao Xianzhi’s campaign against Toharistan. After returning from attacking the Kingdom of Qishi, Gao Xianzhi stationed his troops in Shihan for rest. Finally, in late June, he received approval from the imperial court to send troops to Toharistan, along with news that he would also serve as the governor of Beiting. Overjoyed, he immediately ordered Feng Changqing to go to Beiting to take command of the troops and organize them there to strengthen control over them. His deputy, Li Siye, suggested using the Beiting troops to defend Suiye, but Gao Xianzhi rejected this idea. Having just acquired an army, the top priority was not to use it immediately but to keep it firmly under control. Only by making the army his own could he use it effectively. Therefore, eliminating Li Qingan’s loyalists became the most important task in Gao Xianzhi’s orders to Feng Changqing.

Gao Xianzhi also made thorough preparations for the campaign against Toharistan. He reinforced the Tianbao Guiren Army of Xiaobo Li, left three thousand troops to guard the capital of Qishi, Balabulabula City, and dispatched three thousand more troops to guard the eastern section of the Silk Road, deploying heavy forces to prevent Tubo troops from attacking the Tang army from behind. While waiting for orders from the imperial court, he sent numerous scouts to assess the strength of the various Toharistan states. He discovered that the Arab forces had withdrawn from Toharistan due to internal conflicts. Although the Toharistan states had large armies, their combat strength was far inferior to that of the Tang army. Despite leading only eight thousand Anxi troops, Gao Xianzhi paid no attention to these cowardly, incompetent, and poorly equipped Yuechi people. Over the years, he had swept through Toharistan, defeating the enemy in every battle. Known as the “King of Mountains,” how could he not be invincible in battle?

Gao Xianzhi’s only concern was the region south of Bactria, known locally as Punjab and Sindh. Decades earlier, the Arab armies had already conquered these areas. If he launched a large-scale attack on Bactria, would the Arab forces there react? However, news brought by several merchants dispelled his worries. After the civil war in the Arab world broke out, most of their troops in Punjab and Sindh had been withdrawn to the west. The few thousand troops left were meant to suppress local rebellions and had no strength to intervene in the Tang army’s battles in Bactria.

Gao Xianzhi was completely at ease. Tubo was trapped on the plateau and unable to advance westward, while the Arabs were preoccupied with their civil war and had no time to focus on the east. Thus, Bactria would belong to him, Gao Xianzhi.

“Commander, the Yuezhi army has suffered a crushing defeat! The defending forces in A’huan City are now less than a thousand!” A scout officer brought the most exciting news.

“Well done!”

Gao Xianzhi gazed at the dark capital of the Yuezhi in the distance and ordered, “Pass my order: the soldiers shall storm A’huan City, and they’ll be given three days off!”

When the news spread, the Tang army erupted in cheers, their morale soaring. They rushed toward A’huan City with determination. At that moment, his deputy general Li Siye was shocked and urgently advised, “Commander, this is not advisable. There are many small kingdoms in Bactria, most of which are related to the Yuezhi. If we allow our troops to loot, it may provoke resentment among these kingdoms, hindering our progress.”

Gao Xianzhi smiled arrogantly. “How could I not know that? But you only see one side of the matter. If the Arabs were supporting them, they might resist. But the Arabs have always been too busy with their own civil wars. The kingdoms of Bactria are like frightened birds—they’ll collapse at the first battle. There’s no talk of unity against us. In the past, our Tang Dynasty indulged them too much, giving them money, rewards, and high positions. What was the result? As soon as the Arabs arrived, they all abandoned their weapons and surrendered, accepting the Arabs as their new rulers. They didn’t remember a single bit of Tang’s kindness. This time, I’ll make them suffer so badly that they’ll never dare betray the Tang Dynasty again.”

“But the king of Kucha also asked the Tang Dynasty for help, pleading for troops to save Bactria. These small kingdoms had no strength to resist the Arabs and were forced to surrender. We’re here to save them from disaster—how can we do the opposite? Commander, please reconsider!”

“Stop talking!” Gao Xianzhi interrupted Li Siye’s earnest pleas, his face dark. “I’ll handle it differently. Those who support the Tang Dynasty will live; those who support the Arabs will be destroyed!”

He pointed his whip at the excited Tang soldiers charging forward and said, “As you can see, if we don’t send our troops to loot and if we don’t give them rewards, how can we boost their morale? I’ve led troops for many years and understand the ways of warfare better than you do. General Li, stop talking and just follow my orders.” Seeing Gao Xianzhi’s stubborn determination, Li Siyeh could only sigh in silence and dare not say anything more. At noon, the Tang army captured Ahuain City. Seven thousand Tang soldiers rushed in and looted wildly inside the city. Flames soared into the sky, and cries of the residents filled the air. The king, Napal, abandoned his wife and children and fled west in panic. As the Tang army seized the palace, Ahuain City was plunged into chaos.

…

In the evening, the Tang army’s logistics unit carrying supplies arrived. Among them, Gao Wu, clad in armor, was extremely excited. From time to time, she asked Zhao Chongjin, the envoy from Shule, “Uncle Zhao, when will we encounter the enemy? I can’t wait any longer.” Zhao Chongjin inwardly smiled bitterly. Since Li Qing’an had been captured, the commander was afraid that his precious daughter might go to the capital and cause trouble, so he ordered him to bring her along as well. To pacify her, he even granted her the rank of a colonel. Of course, he had no intention of letting her fight in battle. Seeing Gao Wu ready with weapons, looking as if she were ready to fight at any moment, he laughed and said, “Sister Wu, even if the enemy lines up right in front of you, you’re not allowed to attack without the commander’s orders. That’s military rule—disobeying it can get you executed.” Gao Wu frowned and asked, “Why? Can’t we attack when the enemy is right in front of us?” Zhao Chongjin explained with a smile, “Because if you act rashly without knowing the commander’s plans, it could ruin everything.” Gao Wu thought there was some truth to it but refused to admit it, muttering, “How can that make sense? If we don’t attack when the enemy is right in front of us, what if they come to kill us?” “Hehe! That’s a different situation. Sister Wu, what I mean is that to fight, you still need your father’s permission.” “He! He’ll never agree.” “Exactly. If the commander doesn’t allow it, how dare we agree?” The soldiers around them all laughed. Unhappy, Gao Wu suddenly shot an arrow at a willow tree fifty steps away. The arrow pierced the tree accurately, and the soldiers fell silent instantly. After traveling for over another hour, they finally arrived at the Tang army’s camp. The open area in the camp was piled high with loot, and groups of prisoners and ordinary people were led in with tied hands and feet. Dozens of human traffickers who had heard about the situation were bargaining with the Tang army to buy some young men and women.

Gao Wu’s brows furrowed in anger. How could things turn out like this? When did the Tang troops become bandits? At that moment, over a hundred Tang soldiers came towards them, leading a large group of refugees—elderly, weak, women, and children. The soldiers carried whips, shouting and cursing as they moved back and forth; if anyone slowed down, they would strike them with their whips. The women and children were all in tattered clothes, crying and wailing. Gao Wu saw that many of them were almost naked, with exposed skin covered in wounds from the whips, and quite a few were holding children.

Furious, Gao Wu spurred her horse forward and shouted, “Stop!”
Few soldiers of the Anxi Army didn’t recognize Gao Wu. A lieutenant quickly stepped forward to greet her, “Miss Wu, is there something wrong?”
Gao Wu pointed at the women and children and rebuked, “These are just ordinary refugees. Is it really necessary to treat them so cruelly?”
The lieutenant hurriedly explained, “Miss Wu, they’re not ordinary refugees. They are the wives and daughters of the King of Yuechi. They tried to escape by dressing as ordinary people, but were caught by our soldiers. Commander Gao ordered us to bring them to the camp for strict supervision before sending them to the capital as captives.”
“They’re all women and children. How can you abuse them like this? Do you even have any military discipline?”
Suddenly, Gao Wu noticed that many of the young women were even naked below the waist. She became extremely angry, drew her sword, and pointed it at the lieutenant, shouting, “If you don’t explain clearly today, I’ll kill you on the spot!”
The lieutenant looked embarrassed. The situation in A Huan City was far worse—everywhere there were naked women. What was this compared to? He stammered for a while before saying, “It was the commander who ordered our soldiers to take three days off. No military discipline will be enforced during those three days. Miss Wu, you must have misunderstood!”
Gao Wu couldn’t believe her ears. It was her own father who gave the order. She sheathed her sword and snapped at the lieutenant, “Quickly take care of them, dress them properly, and stop abusing them. Whoever dares to insult them again will be killed by me!”
She turned her horse and rushed towards the main command tent.
Inside the main command tent, Gao Xianzhi was meeting Luo Quanjie, the king of Gudu. Gudu was also a country founded by the Yuechi people, but unlike other small kingdoms in Turkestan that had surrendered to the Abbasids, Gudu had always sided with the Tang Dynasty. Gao Xianzhi’s decision to conquer Turkestan was largely influenced by the advice of King Luo Quanjie of Gudu.

After the ancient Yuezhi kingdom migrated westward to the Turfan region, it evolved over nearly a thousand years and split into countless small states. A few of the larger states, benefiting from the wealth brought by the Silk Road, gradually became powerful. Guduo and Yuezhi were among them. However, the two nations were in constant conflict over control of Turfan. When the Tang army destroyed the Yuezhi kingdom, Guduo’s king, Luo Quanjie, saw hope for unifying Turfan and came specifically to discuss this matter with Gao Xianzhi.

Luo Quanjie could speak fluent Chinese. Standing with his hands hanging at his sides, he said humbly to Gao Xianzhi, who was seated in his command post, “I greatly admire the combat strength of the Tang army. I dare assert that it will take less than a month for the commander to conquer Turfan. Conquering Turfan is easy, but I wonder what plans the commander has for handling matters afterward?”

As soon as he spoke, Gao Xianzhi understood his intention and smiled, saying, “If you’re willing to help me handle things afterward, that’s not impossible. But you must ensure the supply needs of my Tang army and the rewards due to my soldiers.”

Luo Quanjie was surprised that Gao Xianzhi agreed so readily. Overjoyed, he quickly said, “Commander, rest assured. There will be no problems with supplies or rewards. As long as I can unify Turfan, I will surely be loyal to the Tang Dynasty and help defend it against the expansion of the Arabs.”

“No! It’s to resist the western advance of the Tubo.”

“Yes! Yes! As long as the Tang army supports me, I will definitely protect Turfan for the Tang Dynasty.”

Just then, voices from the entrance came through—the guards’ voices: “Miss Wu, the commander has important guests. You can’t enter!”

“Move aside!”

The curtain was lifted, and Gao Wu rushed in angrily.