Chapter 342: Blocking the River Crossing (Part 1)

Night fell quietly over the banks of the Amu Darya River. A crescent moon hung in the deep blue sky, casting silver light across the vast desert, dressing the golden sands in a silvery cloak. In the night breeze, the sound of waves crashing against the river could be faintly heard. The vast expanse of water shimmered with ripples as the river struggled to push its heavy currents northward.

On the shore, groups of Tang army scouts raced past. They stared at the water’s surface; whenever the slightest movement appeared, they immediately stopped their horses to examine it closely, afraid of missing any clues. Across from Chalju City, the Tang army was on high alert. An abnormal drop in the river’s level had raised their suspicions.

By the riverbank, Li Qing’an was checking the declining water level. Li Siyeh, the commander in charge of this interception mission, was also there to observe. At that time, Li Siyeh held the positions of Deputy Governor of Anxi, Commander of the Dayuan Troops, and Commander of the New Army. The training of new recruits in the Anxi army included archery and horseback riding in Suiye, while subsequent combat drills took place in Shiguo under Li Siyeh’s supervision. For this mission to stop the Abbasid army from crossing the Amu Darya, Li Qing’an had no choice but to deploy the newly trained recruits to address the crisis, giving Li Siyeh, who had long been idle, a chance to prove himself.

Since Li Qing’an gradually felt increasing pressure from Chang’an, his internal power struggles also came to light. He favored loyal generals such as the Li Fei brothers, Duan Xiushi, and Cui Qianyou, while suppressing non-loyal commanders—especially those who might be bought off by Li Longji or pose a direct threat to his position. He used various tactics to control them. For example, after Li Qing’an was demoted to governor of Henan Circuit, Feng Changqing took control of the northern regions. Although Li Qing’an reconciled with him in a magnanimous manner, once a crisis arose, he was the first to demote Feng Changqing, appointing him as governor of Yincheng to oversee Tibetan immigrants and stripping him of most of his military power. Another example was Li Siyeh. Though Li Qing’an had a good personal relationship with him, Li Siyeh was still a potential threat. However, unlike Feng Changqing, Li Siyeh could, to some extent, be won over, so Li Qing’an used a subtle approach, sending him to the distant Shi State to train new recruits—a request made by Li Siyeh himself. Based on the information Li Qing’an had, Li Longji had not yet reached out to Li Siyeh, so he summoned him to the Amu Darya River to deal with the Arab forces.

At the same time, Li Qing’an wanted to take this opportunity to communicate with Li Siyeh to see if he could fully bring him into his camp. The crisis along the river was not just about war.

“General, the water level was clearly here this afternoon. Look!” Li Siyeh pointed at a large rock soaked with water. “But now it’s dropped by more than a foot. It’s truly strange. It reminds me of the situation when we fought at Lianyun Fort. Could it also be fate?”

“It can’t be fate.”

“If it’s not fate, then what? It dropped suddenly by a foot.”

Li Qing’an pondered for a moment before asking, “Could it be that they opened a breach somewhere upstream, causing the river to split?”

“That’s possible!”

Li Siyeh waved his hand in the distance and ordered, “Bring the guide here!”

A moment later, several soldiers brought an old Sogdian man. Li Siyeh pointed at him and introduced him to Li Qing’an, saying, “He’s a boatman who has lived by the Amu Darya River for years. No one knows it better than him. He speaks Turkic, so the general can ask him directly.”

Li Qing’an sat down on the rock and asked gently, “What’s your name, sir? How many years have you lived by the Amu Darya River?”

The old man, already aware that the man before him was the Anxi Jiedushi, replied respectfully, “My name is Baji. I’ve lived by the Amu Darya River for forty years and know its moods better than anyone.”

“Then let me ask you—why has the river level suddenly dropped by a foot?”
The old man stepped forward and observed carefully for a while before saying, “This has happened a few times before. It’s due to sudden heavy rains in summer, which cause the river to rise sharply, leading to dam breaks about a hundred miles to the south.”
Li Qing’an immediately asked, “Are there any areas along the Amu Darya where dams are prone to breaking?”
“Yes! There are several such places. The nearest one is on the west bank, about a hundred miles to the south. We Sogdians call it Abari Tang. It’s a bend where the riverbed is shallow, and the water flows almost parallel to the banks. The land outside the embankment is low-lying, so when heavy rains cause the water to rise, it overflows and rushes into the desert, resulting in a drop in the water level downstream.”
Li Qing’an looked up at the sky in the south. The weather was as clear as here, with no signs of heavy rain. He asked again, “If there’s no heavy rain, is there any other reason for the dam to break?”
The old man replied affirmatively, “Then it must be that someone deliberately breached the dam to release water.”
Li Qing’an and Li Siye exchanged a glance. It was indeed the work of the Persian army. This was likely a precursor to their attack. Li Qing’an frowned and asked, “Elder, since the water level has only dropped by a foot, will it make crossing the river easier?”
“Yes. Don’t underestimate this drop,” the old man said, pointing at the river surface. “Look at the waves—they’ve significantly decreased. This makes crossing much easier. And based on my experience, the water level will continue to drop, making it even easier to cross. I’ve seen the Persian army cross the river using huge sheepskin rafts that can carry a hundred people at a time. It’s quite terrifying to watch.”
Li Qing’an nodded. “Thank you, elder!”
He ordered his soldiers to take the old man away. Then he immediately said to Li Siye, “It’s now certain that the Persians are about to attack. But we don’t know when. It could be tonight, or tomorrow night, or from another section of the river. In any case, we must not be careless. Send more troops to patrol along the coast. Report any signs of activity immediately. Also, confirm whether the dam break is indeed about a hundred miles away. If so, we can roughly estimate where they’ll cross the river.”
Li Siye agreed repeatedly and quickly went to arrange the necessary measures. Li Qing’an stared at the dark opposite bank of the river and murmured to himself, “Abu Muslim, don’t you care about yourself at all?”
……

Tang army scouts rushed along the shore, and soon they identified the location of the breached dam on the opposite bank—about a hundred miles south, right where the old man Baji had mentioned. The river there was abnormal; when logs were released, they drifted swiftly to the other side, and the water level upstream did not decrease, only here did it start to drop. As the night deepened, the drop in water level suddenly stopped.
“Qilang, I seem to sense a murderous intent approaching us!”
Li Siyeh’s voice was low. He stared at the opposite bank, gripping the hilt of his sword tightly, his gaze filled with killing intent.
Li Qing’an glanced at Li Siyeh, slightly surprised. Just now, Li Siyeh had called him “Qilang”—a term he himself had used unconsciously. At that moment, Li Qing’an suddenly felt as if he had returned to the past, to the times when he fought side by side with Li Siyeh. A sense of emotion welled up in his heart, and he smiled slightly. “How about we fight again to see who can kill more enemies?”
Li Siyeh looked at Li Qing’an in astonishment. He saw a hint of relief and warmth of friendship in his eyes, which deeply moved him. Suddenly, he laughed loudly and said, “Great! Let’s fight again.”
He waved his hand backward. “Bring my halberd!”
Li Qing’an also ordered his guards, “Bring my bow and arrows.”
……
On the opposite side of the river, below Chalju City, eight thousand Arab troops were already lined up and ready to go. Qiyad rode on his warhorse, his gaze dark and filled with deep hatred as he stared at the opposite bank. He hated it with all his being—the days of swinging iron picks, the moldy black beans every night, the bone-piercing whips, and the heavy shackles that not only bound his body but also destroyed his soul. Those unbearable memories flashed through his mind. Being a prisoner had not only humiliated his confidence but also ruined his future.
Qiyad looked up at the city walls. There, he saw a thin, tall figure standing motionless like a tree. A sense of sorrow arose in Qiyad’s heart. Abu Muslim was also a loser like him. He could understand the feelings of a loser. Victory or defeat no longer mattered; what mattered was that he had taken a step toward revenge—a courage that ordinary people could not fathom.
“General Qiyad, we’re ready!” an Arab general said, restraining his warhorse as he reported to him.

Qiyad looked up at the moon in the sky. The night was deep; the crescent moon hung like a hook. A cloud drifted by, covering the moonlight and casting a shadow over the land. It was the moment for killing. He glanced at Abu Muslim—his figure on the city wall remained unchanged, as if the impending battle had nothing to do with him.

“Beat the drums! Three thousand soldiers shall cross the river!” Qiyad issued the order for war through tightly closed lips.

“Boom! Boom! Boom!” The deep sounds of war drums rang out, and the first vanguard of three thousand soldiers lined up and headed toward the riverbank.

On the shore, nearly a hundred huge sheepskin rafts were already ready. These rafts were constructed with wooden frames covered in sheepskin; each one was enormous, requiring the skins of a thousand sheep to make. Such rafts had once brought glorious victories to the Abbasid army. Two hundred thousand soldiers crossed the Tigris and Euphrates using these rafts, utterly defeating the Umayyad forces. Today, the Khorasan army would use the same rafts to cross the Amu Darya and conquer Transoxiana.

Each raft could carry a hundred people, but considering possible resistance, they were not filled to capacity. Each raft carried thirty people and their warhorses—ten of them stood at the front holding shields to defend against the Tang army’s arrows, while the remaining twenty sat on either side, rowing hard to push the raft across.

The first raft was put into the water. A dozen soldiers stood on it, leading their horses, with seven or eight people on each side pushing it into the river. The moment the raft entered the water, they quickly climbed aboard and began rowing hard toward the other shore. Soon after, the second, third… hundreds of sheepskin rafts were put into the water one after another, stretching for three miles as they rowed densely toward the opposite bank.