Chapter 230: Reclaiming Suiye

In the pitch-dark night, scouts Qin Haiyang and Feng Silang once again infiltrated the vicinity of Suiye. Last time, they had noticed the interior of Suiye to be unusually empty. Yet the suspicious Cui Qianyou did not believe that the main force of the Turkic Khaganate had left yet. He needed more conclusive information to support his decision—he wanted to know if the Turkic cavalry had hidden inside the city of Suiye.
“Brother Qin, how can we know if there are troops in the city?” Looking at the towering, dark city walls, Feng Silang was filled with doubt.
“You fool! What’s right under your nose?”
“My mouth! Oh! Brother Qin, do you mean we should go ask someone?”
“You admit you’re stupid yet still refuse to admit it.” Qin Haiyang glared at him irritably and sighed, “Sigh! I’m on my way to becoming a general, yet I still have to bring you, this fool, along, causing me endless trouble.”
Feng Silang grew anxious and quickly said, “Brother Qin, I’m sorry!”
“It’s fine, it’s fine. I was once as stupid as you too.”
Qin Haiyang waved his hand and said, “I’ll tell you! There are many ways to find out if there are troops in the city. One is to observe the sentries on the city walls. If there are many troops in the city, the sentries will be more vigilant. Conversely, if there are no troops, the sentries will be slack and likely sleeping somewhere. Of course, the best way is to sneak into the city—then it will be clear whether there are troops or not.”
Seeing that Feng Silang remained silent, Qin Haiyang asked curiously, “Why aren’t you talking?”
“I dare not. I’m afraid you’ll scold me!”
“Scared of what? You’re stronger than me. If I were you, I’d have already beaten you into submission. These days, dignity is earned through strength, understand?”
“Yes! Brother Qin, I understand.”
“You don’t understand anything!”
Just then, the sound of horse hooves suddenly came from the direction of Suiye City. Qin Haiyang’s eyes widened instantly. He quickly drew a poisoned arrow, nocked it on his bow, and turned to scold, “Idiot, hurry up and get your bow ready!”
Feng Silang hurriedly grabbed an arrow. “Use a poisoned arrow!” Qin Haiyang snapped again. At that moment, two horses rushed toward them from afar. Qin Haiyang narrowed his eyes. It was already late, and the city gates had long been closed. Ordinary people couldn’t leave the city—only soldiers could.
The horses got closer and closer. Indeed, they were two Turkic Khaganate soldiers. Qin Haiyang immediately whispered, “Shoot the second horse. Remember, only shoot the horse, not the people.”
Feng Silang nodded. His hands trembled with nervousness as he slowly drew his bow. In fact, he had never killed anyone before, but he didn’t dare admit it.

The Turkic horsemen were getting closer, and their loud laughter could be heard. Just then, a cold arrow shot out with a whoosh, hitting one of the men in front. With a muffled groan, he fell off his horse. The man behind him was startled and tried to turn his horse to flee, but Feng Silang’s arrow, though not very forceful, still hit the horse. The scouts’ poisoned arrows were specially crafted with intense toxicity; the warhorse stumbled just one step before falling to the ground, throwing the Turkic rider far into the bushes.

Qin Haiyang rushed forward, pressing down on the struggling enemy soldier and delivering a fierce punch to his temple. The enemy soldier let out a muffled groan and collapsed unconscious.

“Quick! Bring some rope!”

Together, the two of them tied up the Turkic horsemen, stuffed them into burlap sacks, and quickly carried them into the forest.

……

Cui Qianyou obtained the most detailed information from this Turkic prisoner. The main force of 20,000 Turkic soldiers had headed north three days earlier. Currently, there were less than 400 defenders in Suiye City. This valuable information thrilled Cui Qianyou. He rewarded Qin Haiyang and the other man generously and immediately ordered the Anxi army to launch an attack.

Three thousand Anxi soldiers surged forward like a torrential flood, their hooves thundering and dust filling the air as they rushed past Helei City. The Turkic soldiers on the city walls were stunned—the Tang army was heading toward Suiye! In just moments, Helei City was in an uproar. Their wives, children, mothers, and sisters were all in Suiye City. They couldn’t bear to imagine what would happen if the Tang army captured it.

The 5,000 Turkic soldiers defending against the Anxi army were old, weak, sick, and disabled men selected by Dumoji from 30,000 soldiers. Most of them were either elderly people in their fifties or sixties or teenagers. War was something entirely foreign to them. They had lived on the grasslands for generations, herding livestock and milking cows, leading a simple and carefree life. But Dumoji’s aggressive military policies forced them onto the battlefield. Armed with heavy leather armor and spears longer than themselves, they were terrified, unsure when their lives would end.

Yet at that moment, concern for their families made them forget their fear. Thousands of them clamored, forcing their leader to open the city gates and release the people.

Leading these weak soldiers was Dumoji’s nephew, named Duduo. Although Dumoji had taken in twelve adopted sons, only he could truly inherit the position of chief. Not only did he possess noble bloodlines, but more importantly, Duduo was outstanding among the younger generation—strong, intelligent, and fearless. He knew that despite their large numbers, they were no match for the elite Anxi-Tang army.

For this reason, he shouted desperately at the hundreds of people surrounding him who wanted to fight, “Listen to me! We can’t go save Suiye now. The Tang army won’t massacre the city; going there would only lead to certain death. We must hold fast to Helie City. The great chief will return soon.” Despite his efforts to comfort the soldiers, his words were useless in the face of these anxious elders and youths. How could he know that the Tang army wouldn’t massacre the city? The great chief was far in the north, and by the time he returned, his family’s bones would have turned to dust. His pleas were immediately drowned out by furious shouts. “We want to go home! We want to return to Suiye!” Someone opened the city gates first, and the chaotic Turkic warriors rushed out in droves, heading straight for Suiye. They weren’t there to fight; the concept of war didn’t exist in their minds. They had only one thought: “Go home!” The distance from Helie City to Suiye City was about eighty miles, separated by a mountain range spanning over ten miles long, called Hemanshan. In the open fields west of the mountains, thousands of Turkic warriors rushed frantically, forming their own groups as if competing for fertile pastures. They had only one goal: to return to Suiye City and protect their loved ones. They shed their heavy armor, discarded their cumbersome spears, hung their swords at their saddles, and used their long bows as whips to drive their horses. They had completely forgotten that they were soldiers. The Tang army, however, did not forget. When the thousands of Turkic warriors rounded Hemanshan and Suiye City became visible, they stopped their horses and stared in horror ahead. On the plain north of Hemanshan, three thousand Tang soldiers lined up in formation, drawing their crossbows, drawing their swords, and pointing their sharp spears forward. Cui Qianyou stared coldly at the disorganized Turkic warriors, a hint of smug confidence appearing on his lips. “Kill!” At his command, the three thousand Tang soldiers charged, unleashing a wave of murderous intent. Their iron hooves pounded the ground, their armor gleamed brightly in the sunlight, and they surged forward like an unstoppable torrent, attacking the Turkic warriors. The Turkic warriors were terrified and fled in all directions out of instinct to survive. The five thousand Turkic soldiers stationed on the southern defense line collapsed instantly. There was chaos as people and horses collided and trampled each other, with screams filling the air. Those who fled more slowly were immediately swept up by the advancing Tang cavalry and crushed to pieces.

In less than two hours, the 5,000 Turkic cavalry troops were completely annihilated—1,000 were killed, over 2,000 captured, and the rest fled without a trace. Dudu, the nephew of Dumoji, led 500 men to fight against the Tang army but was also utterly defeated; Dudu died in the chaos. At dusk, under the blood-red sunset, 3,000 Tang soldiers, along with 2,000 prisoners of war, marched triumphantly before Suiye City, creating a formidable presence rivaling that of an army of 5,000 or more. The city’s alarm bells were now useless; the sparse defenders stared in terror at the overwhelming Tang forces, already demoralized before battle. Suiye City had only 400 Turkic cavalry defenders left—the rest had been withdrawn by Saoud to engage the main Tang forces. 400 men could not defend a city with a circumference of 60 li, and more importantly, they lacked the resolve to fight to the death for their city. “Shoot the surrender letters!” ordered Cui Qianyou. Dozens of soldiers rushed forward and fired thin surrender letters onto the city walls. All the letters contained just eight words: “Surrender to save the city; resist and the city will be destroyed.” They were also translated into Turkic. Silence fell on the city walls. Cui Qianyou waited patiently, knowing that Dumoji’s brutality had already split the Turkic people. How long could they hold out under the pressure of the Tang army? Fifteen minutes later, the gates of Suiye City slowly opened. The 400 Turkic soldiers stationed there, led by a centurion, came out to surrender. They laid down their weapons and raised their hands high. The Tang army cheered immediately. A hint of triumph appeared on Cui Qianyou’s face. With a wave of his hand, he ordered, “Enter the city!” As the Tang army marched into Suiye City, this border stronghold, lost for most of half a year, once again fell back into the hands of the Tang Dynasty. … Yet the war continued. That afternoon, the sky was unusually dark, with clouds hanging low. At the Almady Pass north of Suiye, Saoud had his troops ready. 26,000 Turkic soldiers were spread across a two-li-long front line. Sand and dust filled the air, blurring the sight of the Tang army camps in the distant grasslands. Saoud rode a majestic, shiny black horse, holding a sharp spear about twenty feet long. He stared coldly at the Tang army’s camp, his face revealing his eagerness for battle. “General, it seems the Tang army has no intention of fighting,” an officer whispered to him. Saoud gazed at the calm Tang camps and said coldly, “No! We can test their defenses.”

He glanced back at the Turkic soldiers, spurred his horse to run ahead of the troops, and shouted loudly in Turkic, “The Tang army wants to seize your land, take your women and children. You must protect your homes by yourselves. Warriors, honor belongs to you, to the Turks! Charge into the Tang camp and drive them out of Suiye!”
“Drive them out of Suiye!” The Turkic people’s anger was ignited by Saoud. He raised his spear high as they shouted in unison.
Saoud pointed his spear at the Tang camp and cried, “Kill!”
The Turkic attack began. Eight thousand cavalry rushed forward on their warhorses, charging at the Tang army in a massive wave. Shouts, roars, and the sound of hooves filled the plain.
The Tang army’s camp remained quiet, but behind the fences, ten thousand Tang soldiers were ready. Three thousand of them formed a dense shield wall with large shields, while six thousand archers were arranged in three groups, each holding powerful crossbows with arrows aimed skyward. Behind them were two hundred medium-sized trebuchets, each operated by ten men, tensioned with leather ropes and loaded with 30-jin stones. The crossbows and trebuchets created a dual line of defense—ranged and close-range. The Tang army was fully prepared.
Li Qing’an rode on his horse, watching the waves of horses approaching in the distance. The eight thousand Turks surged across the grassland like a raging tide. A cold smile appeared on his face. Unlike the first attack on Suiye, he no longer cared much about testing his soldiers’ combat skills; he placed more emphasis on tactics and strategy.
Since the fifth year of the Tianbao era, the Tang Dynasty had been dealing with the Turks. He knew their fighting style well—they were like sudden floods, fierce in their onslaught but lacking in follow-up strength.
Beside him, Li Guangbi seemed uneasy. This defensive tactics of setting up a camp was something he had never encountered before. The camp fences were not as sturdy as city walls, and if the enemy rushed forward, they could easily pull them down with ropes. Meanwhile, the Tang soldiers inside lacked space to form formations, making defense and counterattacks difficult.
He whispered to Li Qing’an, “General, be prepared for the enemy to use fire attacks!”
Li Qing’an nodded. He had already thought of that. The Tang soldiers holding shields carried water skins to prevent the Turks from setting fire to the fences. But he believed such a scenario would not happen.

The sound of hooves was like thunder as the Turkic horsemen rushed closer and closer—1,000 steps, 800 steps, 600 steps, 500 steps… They were gradually approaching the range of the trebuchets. The Tang army’s trebuchets fired, and a series of powerful gusts blew as hundreds of stones soared into the air, forming a dense rain of stones that descended with a eerie sound, crashing down on the Turkic horsemen. Those at the forefront were thrown off their horses; huge stones struck soldiers, instantly blowing off their heads and leaving bloody messes, while horses were also hit, collapsing with agonized cries and crushing the soldiers beneath them. This stone rain killed and wounded over 400 cavalrymen, dampening the Turkic horsemen’s fierce momentum. Yet their attack continued, with waves of them pressing forward toward the Tang army’s camp. A second wave of stone rain struck, causing more chaos as their vanguard was now less than 200 steps away from the Tang camp.

The Tang army’s arrow formation came into action. Drums sounded, and 6,000 crossbows fired simultaneously, sending a dense rain of arrows into the air, forming a long black cloud that quickly turned into dots as they rained down on the Turkic horsemen. The horsemen raised their shields to defend, but the Tang army’s crossbows were unmatched—not only did they have a long range, but their force was also immense. Ordinary shields and leather armor couldn’t withstand them, especially since the arrows fell from above with added weight, rendering the wooden shields of the Turkic horsemen useless.

The powerful and heavy arrows pierced the horsemen’s shields and leather armor, causing them to fall from their horses in agony. Cries of pain filled the air. Soon, a second and third wave of arrows rushed in like rain, so dense they seemed impenetrable. The long arrows whistled down, piercing shields, faces, and chests. The Turkic horsemen collapsed like crops destroyed by a storm, blood splattering everywhere as they died in agony. Their morale plummeted; they began to waver, retreat, and scatter in panic, as if a gust of wind had cleared the clouds. The Turkic horsemen’s first attack was shattered. They suffered heavy losses—after just two rounds of shooting, 8,000 of their cavalrymen were reduced by 30%, with nearly 3,000 killed or wounded.

Saoud, who was watching from behind, gasped in shock. He had never seen such powerful arrows before. The arrows of the Abbasid army were far inferior to those of the Tang army. Although archery wasn’t the Abbasid army’s strength—since they excelled at throwing short spears at close range—even the Byzantines, who were skilled in archery, couldn’t compare to the Tang army’s archers. Saoud felt a chill of fear.

The fighting spirit of the Turkic people was utterly shattered by the Tang army’s powerful bows and arrows. The once thunderous slogans of defending their homeland vanished as well. Everyone anxiously considered their ways of retreat. They were ordinary herdsmen, and preserving their meager possessions was their top concern.

The mysterious disappearance of their leader, Dhumoji, at such a critical moment made them feel abandoned. Many began to suspect Saud, wondering why they should follow this man from the Abbasid Empire and why he had hidden behind while the attack took place. After their passion and fervor were mercilessly crushed by the Tang army’s arrow rain, they began to calm down.

At that moment, many palm-sized red pieces of paper were blown by the wind—paper projectiles fired by the Tang army’s trebuchets, numbering in the tens of thousands. No one paid attention at first, but now that the battlefield had quieted, these pieces of paper drifted onto the Turkic troops’ positions. Many picked them up and showed them to each other, sparking whispers among the soldiers, with fear in everyone’s eyes.

Someone handed the paper to Saud, which read: “Suiye City has been captured by the Tang Anxi Army. Your parents, wives, and children are in the hands of the Tang army. Return home quickly. The Tang will protect you and give you pastures and land as before. Otherwise, this will be your grave.”

“Damn you!” Saud torn the paper to shreds and immediately ordered, “Prepare for a second attack!”

His command was met with indifference; no one responded. Then, a Turkic general stepped forward and said, “General Saud, we are puzzled as to why our chief left at such a critical moment without even taking his bodyguards. We hope you can explain this to us.”

“What’s there to explain?” Saud snapped. “You’ve seen it yourselves—can your strength compare to that of the Tang army? Dhumoji went to ask the Muslim governor for help. Without Abbasid troops to support you, who can save Suiye?”

“If you truly wanted to save Suiye, why did you move all your troops here? What if the Anxi Army from the south attacked Suiye? And the Tang army says Suiye has already fallen—we think it’s very likely true.”

“Dare you speak to me like that?” The Turkic general didn’t dare offend him and restrained himself, saying, “General, we don’t want to die needlessly. We don’t want to fight anymore. We hope to return to Suiye!”

Saoud glared fiercely into his eyes. After a long while, he waved his hand and ordered, “All troops, withdraw!” As the order to retreat was given, the Turkic horsemen began to slowly withdraw. But at that moment, the gates of the Tang army’s camps on three sides swung open, and 15,000 cavalrymen rushed forth like a torrent breaking its banks, sweeping toward the Turkic horsemen two miles away. The Tang army’s sudden attack caught Saoud off guard. If his men had been those of the Abbasid army, he could have organized a counterattack using dense volleys of javelins to halt the Tang forces’ advance, then reorganize his troops. General Ziyad had successfully used this strategy to turn defeat into victory against the Umayyad army. But his men now were dispirited, untrained Turkic nomads who longed to return home and no longer obeyed his commands. The Tang army’s unstoppable momentum and thunderous force terrified the Turkic horsemen, who fled in panic. Defeat was total. Seeing the situation was hopeless, Saoud led a dozen of his bodyguards westward in escape… In this battle, the Tang army defeated the main force of the Turkic horsemen with overwhelming superiority, killing over 4,000 of them and capturing 13,000. Thus, the dream of restoring the Turkic Khaganate under Dhumoji vanished under the Tang army’s devastating assault. By the spring of the tenth year of the Tianbao era, the Turkic horsemen were completely conquered by the Tang. Fifty years later, with the death of the last Turkic elder, the last Turkic woman married a young Han man who migrated westward, and the last Turkic child adopted the Han surname Tang. The Turkic people, a branch of the Turks, disappeared into the annals of history. The fertile and beautiful land of Suiye River region returned to the embrace of the Tang Dynasty. Yet this was just the beginning. As the Tang army entered Suiye and the Abbasid Empire rose, the region of Transoxiana—center of the Eurasian continent, a crossroads of Eastern and Western cultures, and a strategically vital area—was destined to spark conflict between the two great empires of the East and West.