Chapter 223: Return to Beiting

At the beginning of December in the ninth year of Tianbao, amid heavy snow, Li Qing’an returned to Beiting after being away for nearly a year. As he rode through Xingxing Gorge, an endless expanse of Gobi Desert lay before him.
His 300 personal guards immediately cheered, and everyone dismounted to run across the snow-covered plains.
“We’re back!”
Li Qing’an also laughed heartily. He grabbed a handful of snow from a tree branch, shaped it into a snowball, and threw it at a snow crow perched on a pine tree. The flock of snow crows took off into the sky.
At this moment, Cui Qianyou said with a smile, “This time, the governor has chosen Beiting as the seat of the Anxi Military Governorship. I’m sure it’s surprising to many!”
“What’s so surprising about that? My first task is to recapture Suiye. Last year, I built five castles as a foundation for reclaiming Suiye. If I don’t focus on Beiting, how can I make use of those castles?”
Saying this, Li Qing’an tilted his head back and exhaled a long plume of white vapor, declaring bravely, “Actually, Beiting is just a temporary base. In the future, the Anxi Military Governorship will be located in Suiye—there’s where I can truly make a difference.”
Inspired by Li Qing’an’s ambition, Cui Qianyou also expressed his feelings, saying, “I too hope to achieve great things in the Western Regions and leave a name in history. That’s what a true man should strive for.”
“You will!” Li Qing’an patted his shoulder firmly and smiled. “Qianyou, one day I’ll let you take charge on your own and surely change your destiny.”
“Change my destiny?”
Cui Qianyou didn’t understand at first. He quickly asked loudly, “Governor, why do you say change my destiny?”
Li Qing’an had already walked away. His loud laughter could be heard in the distance. “In other words, even Geshu Han will become one of your defeated enemies in the future!”
Cui Qianyou repeated these words to himself twice. Suddenly, his eyes lit up as he half-understood Li Qing’an’s meaning. He hurried after him, saying, “Governor, I understand what you mean.”
…
The group traveled for another two days and finally arrived in Yizhou. That morning, they were still thirty li away from Rouruyuan County. Ahead lay a river called Liugu Water, its surface frozen. In the distance, nearly a hundred tents could be seen on the other side of the river, surrounded by fortifications to form a small camp. At that moment, several cavalry riders rushed over and bowed before Li Qing’an, saying, “General Li, our commander-in-chief is inside the camp ahead. He wants to go through the handover procedures with you.”
“Good! I’ll be there right away.”
Li Qing’an spurred his warhorse and headed toward the camp.

Inside the tent, Gao Xianzhi, clad in armor, sat at his desk writing his report on his duties. About to leave Anxi, the region he had fought in for decades, he felt somewhat melancholic. Yet he was also lucky—although he had suffered defeat in Turkestan and lost Suiye, the imperial court did not punish him but instead assigned him to Jiannan to deal with the aftermath.

While feeling sad about leaving Anxi, Gao Xianzhi was also full of anticipation for future challenges. He intended to wash away the shame he had suffered in Turkestan with a great victory in Jiannan.

“All of you, go away! I don’t want you around my tent!”

At that moment, his daughter Gao Wu’s angry shouts could be heard from afar. Gao Xianzhi frowned. He tried every means possible to take her away, but to no avail. In the end, he had to resort to the most extreme method—locking her in a sealed carriage.

With Li Qing’an approaching, it was unacceptable for her to cause trouble now. Gao Xianzhi put down his pen, stepped out of the main tent, and went to his daughter’s tent next door. There, he saw Gao Wu holding a sword, angrily shouting at the dozen or so bodyguards who were blocking her from leaving.

“If you don’t move, I’ll start fighting!”

The bodyguards, armed with large shields, formed a semicircle around her. No matter how loudly she shouted, they wouldn’t let her go.

“What are you doing?” Gao Xianzhi demanded sharply.

Seeing their commander approaching, the bodyguards stepped aside. Gao Wu stamped her foot and turned back into the tent.

Gao Xianzhi sighed, lifted the tent curtain, and entered his daughter’s tent. Gao Wu was then lying on the table, crying softly.

“What! My Wu is crying?” Gao Xianzhi said with a smile as he approached her.

Gao Wu wiped away her tears and looked up, sobbing, “Dad, I don’t want to leave Anxi.”

“Why?”

“I can’t bear to leave these grasslands, these snow-capped mountains and deserts. I love running freely across the grasslands, but Jiannan is full of mountains—I don’t like it.”

“I didn’t say you have to go to Jiannan. You can stay in Chang’an with your mother.”

Gao Xianzhi smiled and patted his daughter’s head gently. “Stop being willful. Come back with Dad.”

“I won’t! I don’t want to go back. Even if you force me to return to Chang’an, I’ll come back,” Gao Wu said stubbornly.

“You!”

Anger flared in Gao Xianzhi’s heart, but he restrained it and said, “It seems you want to go see him!”

Gao Wu bit her lip tightly, remaining silent. From her stubborn gaze, Gao Xianzhi suddenly saw himself in his youth. Back then, his father had firmly refused to let him join the army in Anxi, had beaten him countless times, and even locked him in a room. Yet he had climbed out through the broken tiles on the roof, fled home, and gone to Anxi. Decades had passed in the blink of an eye, and now his daughter was repeating the same path he had taken.

Gao Xianzhi’s heart softened, and he spoke to her gently, “Wu Niang, it’s not that I don’t like Li Qing’an. In fact, I greatly admire him—he’s talented and accomplished in military affairs. I trained him myself; he’s my greatest pride.”

Gao Wu lowered her head and said softly, “Then why won’t you let me go?”

Gao Xianzhi sighed and replied, “That’s because Li Qing’an is already engaged. His wife is the eldest daughter of the Du Gu family. How could I allow my own daughter to become someone else’s concubine and live under another woman’s thumb?”

“But Father, I don’t care.”

Gao Wu stood up and pleaded with her father, “I really don’t care about status at all.”

“You don’t care, but I do!” Gao Xianzhi snapped. “I, Gao Xianzhi, am a noble lord. You’re my only daughter. If he marries you as a concubine, it’s an insult to me. I will never allow it!”

“Father!”

Gao Wu knelt down, tears in her eyes, and said, “I’ve waited for him for so many years. Father, please agree to this for me once!”

“No!”

Gao Xianzhi was firm, leaving no room for negotiation. “You have only one choice: either come with me or go with him. If you go with him, I, Gao Xianzhi, will no longer have such an unfilial daughter.”

He turned around and strode away in anger. Gao Wu stared despairingly at her father’s retreating figure and burst into tears.

……

As soon as Gao Xianzhi returned to his tent, a soldier reported that Li Qing’an had arrived and was waiting outside the camp. Gao Xianzhi glanced back at his daughter’s tent and ordered, “Pack your things. Go to the documents tent to complete the handover.”

Li Qing’an waited outside the tent for a while before Gao Xianzhi came out smiling. “Qilang, congratulations on being reinstated in your position and advancing further.”

Li Qing’an bowed and smiled. “I also wish the commander success in pacifying Nanzhao and bringing glory to the southern regions!”

“Hehe! The same to you. Please follow me.”

Gao Xianzhi affectionately took Li Qing’an’s hand and walked quickly toward the camp. Instead of going to his own tent, they headed to the documents tent, just a few dozen steps away. This was where Gao Xianzhi’s staff handled documents. The tent had been neatly prepared, with tokens, seals, command arrows, and related documents neatly arranged on the table.

The two sat down on a thick military blanket. A personal attendant brought hot tea. Gao Xianzhi sighed and said, “This defeat in Turfan was due to my underestimation of the enemy. I always thought that with the Abbasid civil war going on, they wouldn’t send troops, but to my surprise, they did. Sigh!”
Li Qing’an took a sip of the hot tea and asked, “I wonder what the commander thinks of the combat strength of the Abbasid army?”
“Well, how should I put it?”
Gao Xianzhi pondered for a moment before saying, “In terms of equipment, they are inferior to the Tang army. Many of their soldiers wear armor, which makes them look clumsy, and their bows and arrows are far less effective than those of the Tang army. But they do have their strengths. Their commander is highly strategic and very good at exploiting the enemy’s weaknesses. This time, it was their surprise attack on Shule and Suoye that disrupted my plans.”
Gao Xianzhi picked up his teacup, took a sip, and continued, “Secondly, it’s their tenacity. They fight bravely and, unlike nomadic tribes, they don’t collapse after a defeat. They refuse to give up easily. If you don’t kill a soldier, he will never admit defeat. This is quite similar to the Tubo army. Qilang, when fighting them, you must never underestimate them.”
Li Qing’an nodded. After thinking for a while, he asked, “I wonder if the commander has obtained some of their weapons and equipment? I’d really like to study them.”
“Yes! They’re all with Feng Changqing. What worries me most now are the Tang army prisoners—about a thousand of them—captured by the Abbasid army. I won’t leave until they’re exchanged. That’s my greatest regret.”
With that, Gao Xianzhi handed over the seal, the command arrow, and a thick map of Anxi to Li Qing’an, saying with a smile, “A handover ceremony should have been held, but since you were once one of my subordinates, please spare my pride!”
“The commander worries too much. I also dislike formalities. This simpler approach is best.”
Li Qing’an took the seal and command arrow representing the power of Anxi. The token of authority, however, was not given to him. Li Longji had already granted it to him before he left. Gao Xianzhi’s token had to be returned to Li Longji to receive a new one. From then on, the real power of Anxi was officially transferred to Li Qing’an.
There was a hint of sadness in Gao Xianzhi’s eyes. His Anxi, his dream, was slipping away like water. Just as the waves behind drive on those ahead, he was now old, and the Tang dynasty’s dream for the Western Regions had to be passed on to the younger generation. Gao Xianzhi slowly stood up and bowed slowly to his former seal of command.

In the vast world covered in snow, Gao Xianzhi and his party gradually moved farther away, heading toward the distant east, slowly turning into small black dots. Li Qingan immediately watched them go from a small hill. He turned around abruptly and gazed at the vast land of Anxi. A surge of passion boiled in his heart—from now on, this rich and beautiful land would belong to him. He spurred his horse and rushed into the boundless expanse of heaven and earth.

……

Jerusalem, the last stronghold of the Umayyad dynasty, had held out for a full year. The final battle between the Abbasid and Umayyad dynasties reached its climax amidst flames and thick smoke. It was also the last battle between Shiite and Sunni Muslims for control of the holy city. Boulders flew through the air, crashing down on the dense crowds. Giant fireballs, glowing with intense flames, were hurled into the city. Inside and outside the city walls, debris such as battering rams, trebuchets, and ballistae covered the ground, many still emitting thick smoke. Amidst them were countless burned corpses and severed heads. To the west of the city, on the surface of a lake, the Arabs’ distinctive poisonous flames burned fiercely, as if hell itself had reappeared on earth. Abu Abbas, the emperor of the Abbasid dynasty, watched this last defiant city with cold eyes. With a slight wave of his hand, he gave the final order to attack.

As a deep horn sound rang out, a massive machine slowly emerged from the Abbasid camp. Entirely black, it was twenty zhang long and eight zhang high—a colossal battering ram that had once shattered the thick city walls during the Battle of Damascus, destroying the foundation of the Umayyad dynasty. Today, it was deployed once again to bring an end to the final war.

This enormous battering ram required five hundred camels to pull it and a thousand men to operate it to strike the city walls. Its massive head was made from a two-thousand-year-old olive tree, while the hundreds of zhang-long chains, thicker than arms, were forged in Kufa. All its components were made from thousand-year-old trees, crafted by a thousand craftsmen over the course of a year at a cost of three hundred thousand silver dirhams. The Abbasid army called this battering ram “the King of Demons.” Its appearance signaled the end of the war. As the battering ram moved forward, each step it took caused earth-shaking tremors. Gradually, resistance inside the city ceased. Countless Umayyad soldiers knelt down, staring in terror at this monster taller than the city walls themselves.

Abu Rahman, the Umayyad commander, knew defeat was imminent. He used his sword to pry out the gems from the Umayyad caliph’s crown and handed them to his son, Abd Rahman. “Go quickly,” he shouted. “Escape Jerusalem through secret passages and head to Spain to restore our Umayyad dynasty.”
The young Rahman firmly shook his head and drew his sword. “I will share the fate of Jerusalem!”
Abu Rahman flew into rage. He knocked his son to the ground with a punch and roared, “You are the last member of the Umayyad dynasty. If you die, the dynasty will perish. Go now!”
With a thunderous crash, Jerusalem shook as if the earth itself were splitting apart. Abu Rahman’s eyes turned red with fury. “Aren’t you leaving yet?”
Painful determination flashed in Rahman’s eyes as he turned and rushed back into the city. Abu Rahman watched his son go. He picked up the now-lusterless crown and slowly put it on his head. Swinging his sword, he shouted loudly, “I swear to share the fate of Jerusalem!”
Another thunderous crash echoed as the city walls collapsed, and an army of 100,000 Abbasids poured into Jerusalem.
…
Abbas entered Jerusalem through the main gate. There, the Abbasid commander presented the Umayyad caliph’s crown to him. The crown was made of pure gold, adorned with hundreds of brilliant gems, but the largest red sacred stone at its center was missing, making the crown seem lifeless.
Abbas studied the crown for a long time before saying coldly to his brother Ja’far, “The Sacred Fire Stone of Zoroastrianism can restore the crown’s vitality. I need it.”
“Great Caliph, I will go fetch the Sacred Fire Stone for you at once.”
Ja’far bowed to leave, but Abbas suddenly said, “And the agreement you signed with Sharik can be canceled. Abu Muslim will take full responsibility for suppressing the uprisings in the East.”