Chapter 380: The Blood Battle Against the Yuechi (Part 2)

In Damascus, Khalid entered the palace with a serious expression. Led by the head eunuch, he hurried toward the Map Hall.
“How is the Caliph’s condition now?” Khalid asked anxiously. He had heard that Mansur had been irritable these past few days, killing over a dozen eunuchs and maids. He was worried Mansur might lose his mind.
The head eunuch, however, wasn’t too concerned. Smiling, he said, “Your Excellency, the Vizier, rest assured. The Caliph is in good health now. Though he’s a bit irritable, he no longer indulges in wine and women as before. He devotes himself to state affairs daily, spending most of his time in the Map Hall discussing matters of state.”
The two quickly arrived at the Map Hall. The head eunuch stopped, not daring to enter casually, while Khalid went straight in.
The Map Hall got its name from the numerous maps hanging inside. It was Mansur’s office, akin to an imperial study. Upon entering, Khalid saw Mansur standing with his hands behind his back in front of a massive map.
Khalid had guessed the situation correctly. Ten days earlier, the Roman Empire had mobilized a thousand warships and nearly a hundred thousand troops to launch a massive attack on Cyprus from three directions. The 30,000 Arab defenders on Cyprus had sent repeated pleas for help.
Their crossbows were no longer advantageous. The Roman cavalry archers and infantry crossbowmen used sharper arrows, forcing the Arab forces to retreat step by step. Cyprus was on the verge of falling.
To prevent a ground attack by the Romans, Mansur ordered 150,000 troops from various regions to gather at Edessa. But just then, they received news from the east: the Tang Dynasty’s army was launching a major attack on Turkestan.
“Khalid, I feel our empire is on the verge of collapse,” Mansur sighed. It was clear that Li Qing’an had allied himself with the Romans.
“Khalid, what do you think I should do now?”
“Your Majesty, I believe things haven’t reached their worst yet.”
“Worst?” Mansur turned abruptly and asked, “Then what do you consider the worst?”
“The worst would be if Spain also gets involved.”
Mansur was stunned. He suddenly understood Khalid’s meaning. If things continued to deteriorate, Spain might join the fight as well. With his dynasty under attack from three sides, the situation would indeed become critical. Khalid meant they needed to end the current crisis as soon as possible.
“Then what do you suggest we do?”

“I believe it’s highly likely that Cyprus will not be able to hold out. So, we might as well withdraw our troops from Cyprus temporarily, and the Romans will naturally cease hostilities.”
“What if they refuse to stop fighting?”
“No! They will definitely stop. Your Majesty, remember that besides us, the Romans also have Bulgaria as their enemy. If the Romans really decide to go to war, we can ally with Bulgaria to trap them between two fronts.”
Manzur pondered for a long time before sighing, “What about the East?”
“Let Ziyad handle the East. If he fails, then Your Majesty can go to Khorasan personally. Haven’t You Majesty always wanted to replace Ziyad?”
Manzur slowly walked over to the map, anxiously looking toward the East—not only Turkestan but also Sindh and Punjab, all of which worried him greatly.
…
The main force of the Tang army under Li Qing’an had been stationed in Segashen City for ten days, patiently waiting for news from Li Guangbi. In actual straight-line distance, Li Qing’an was not far from A’huan City—only over four hundred li away. However, the steep mountains created numerous obstacles, making communication extremely difficult. It was not until ten days later that Li Qing’an finally received news from the Tang army on the western front: Li Guangbi had captured Turkestan’s two largest cities, A’huan City and Busi City, and burned all of the Turkestan army’s provisions.
Yet even now, Li Guangbi still refused to engage the Turkestan army head-on, instead forcing them to fight in various locations, exhausting their forces.
Hearing this news, Li Qing’an couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief. Truly a great general of the Middle Tang period, Li Guangbi had used this strategy of avoiding direct confrontation brilliantly, firmly taking control of the war. Of course, Li Qing’an was also aware that Li Guangbi had allowed his soldiers to plunder cities, but he didn’t intend to punish him for it.
Li Qing’an, having experienced countless battles himself, knew this was an important means of boosting morale. In mobile warfare, the Tang army was equally exhausted, and to maintain morale, they had to rely on allowing their soldiers to plunder to inspire their fighting spirit.
It wasn’t mentioned in military strategies, but it was indeed the most effective method. What concerned him now was when exactly Li Guangbi planned to take action.

Li Qing’an stood in front of the map, lost in deep thought for a long time without saying a word. He was actually very worried about the movements of the Arab forces. Although he had signed a military alliance with Byzantium and believed they would honor the agreement by sending troops against the Arabs, the vast distances meant there would be a time lag. If the Arab forces in Khorasan had not yet received orders from Damascus, they might very well send troops to Bactria to support the Sogdians. Moreover, if Byzantium’s attack failed, it would reduce pressure on the Arabs, allowing them to focus their military efforts in the east. So far, there had been no signs of Arab forces in Sindh moving north to support Bactria. Could it be that the Arab forces in Khorasan were coming to assist Bactria? If Li Guangbi delayed things too long, the situation could turn against him.

Of course, Li Qing’an also considered the impact of Arab forces from Khorasan marching into Bactria. He had ordered the troops in Transoxiana to be on high alert. Once the Khorasan forces advanced in large numbers toward Bactria, the Transoxianan troops would immediately attack them.

Still, Li Qing’an needed to consider everything thoroughly.

“General Zhao, do you still remember the details of how the Arab forces supported Bactria four years ago? I’m referring to their marching speed.”

Zhao Chongjie pondered for a moment before saying, “Reporting to the general, I still clearly remember the battle from four years ago. In my memory, the Arab forces’ marching speed wasn’t very fast. When they crossed the Amu Darya River, our scouts detected them. The problem was that the Arabs sent troops to attack Suyab at that time, forcing General Gao to divert troops to rescue Suyab. Moreover, General Gao was unwilling to withdraw from Bactria in such a humiliating manner. What happened next was beyond his expectations—the Arab forces were much stronger than he had thought. In the end, it was because he underestimated the Arabs, thinking they were just barbarians like those in the Transoxianan states, which led to his ultimate defeat.”

“What about the combat strength of the Bactrian forces?” Li Qing’an asked further.

“The Bactrian forces were of average strength, roughly comparable to ordinary Transoxianan armies, and their equipment was outdated. Their leather armor couldn’t withstand the arrows of the Tang troops. If the Tang army had 50,000 men, they could defeat 100,000 Bactrian allied forces in one battle.”

“What if the Tang army only had 30,000 men?”

“I believe in that case, the Tang army would need to rely on military strategy and tactics rather than direct confrontation, as their chances of victory would be slim.”

Li Qing’an nodded. Zhao Chongjie was right. It all depended on how Li Guangbi deployed his troops. At that moment, his gaze fell on the Chishui River. There were many strategies that could be employed with this river—it depended on whether Li Guangbi would be adept at utilizing them.

In mid-August, eight days had passed since the Tang army launched its attack on Tocharia. The battle had not yet decided a winner, but the 100,000-strong Tocharian army found itself in an unprecedentedly difficult situation. When news reached them that the main Tang forces had captured A’huan City, the Tocharian army nearly went mad. They rushed back to A’huan City at all costs, only to learn along the way that Tocharia’s second-largest city, Bushi City, had also been captured by the Tang army. The massive losses led to serious dissatisfaction among the kings of various Tocharian states toward Sa’id’s tactics, especially among the Yuezhi. Their royal palace was burned to the ground, their wives and concubines were killed, and their children disappeared—this filled Qu Zhaomu with extreme anger. He insisted that the army return to A’huan City immediately. But by then, Bushi City, the capital of the Wangting state, had also been captured by the Tang army. Wangting’s king, A’lan, strongly urged the allied forces to head toward Bushi City. A dispute arose between the two kings. Meanwhile, the other three states—Gaofu, Gumo, and Dahan—fearing attacks on their own capitals also made similar requests, asking the army to protect their countries. Conflicts of interest arose. Li Guangbi’s tactic of attacking each force separately was like a giant crowbar, prying apart the weak bonds among the allied forces, causing the Tocharian coalition to gradually fall apart.

The Penchi River, the upper reaches of the Amu Darya, was called Wu Hu River by the Tang Dynasty. It was also the lifeblood of the Tocharian region, flowing through the areas with the densest population and most fertile land. The several major Tocharian states were all located along the Penchi River. At that time, Li Guangbi’s main Tang forces were on the south bank of the Penchi River, about thirty li away from the capital of Gumo State.

By this point, the Penchi River had become relatively calm, with no steep slopes or cliffs on either bank—only a desolate area of alternating deserts and Gobi. More than 20,000 Tang soldiers and over 10,000 camels were resting on a vast expanse of sand, waiting for craftsmen to build floating bridges. Li Guangbi sat on a flat boulder, took a sip of water from his flask, but his gaze remained fixed on the other side of the river, where the outlines of Damo City could be faintly seen.

Over the past eight days, his tactics had undoubtedly been successful—he had destroyed two major cities. Yet Li Guangbi knew that his success was partly due to luck. He had not expected the Tocharian army’s scouting capabilities to be so poor. Two days earlier, his troops had passed behind the enemy’s 100,000-strong army. He had assumed the Tocharian forces would pursue them, but they failed to notice them, forcing him to alert them proactively.

At that moment, several warhorses rushed over swiftly. The scout on one of the horses dismounted, stepped forward, and bowed to report, “General Li, the Tocharian army has split into two groups. One group of about 60,000 soldiers is chasing after us in a line, about thirty li away. The other group of 40,000 soldiers is moving parallel to us to the south, about seventy li away.”

The sudden news made Li Guangbi stand up abruptly. A barely concealed excitement appeared in his calm eyes. The Tocharians had finally split their forces—exactly what he had hoped for and what he had been striving for. Controlling his excitement, he took out a map and spread it out before him, carefully studying the routes taken by the two armies. From the map, it was clear what the Tocharians intended to do. To the southwest from there lay the Great Khanate. Clearly having learned from the lesson of Us City, they feared another Tang attack on the Great Khanate, so they split their forces to encircle the Tang army and prevent it from launching a southern attack on the Great Khanate. This was precisely what Li Guangbi had hoped for. But to seize the opportunity, he needed exceptional command skills. With this in mind, he immediately ordered, “Pass my command: Build a floating bridge within half an hour. Anyone who delays will be executed!”

The place where the Tang army crossed the river was where the Penchi River was the calmest, about one li wide, and it was also the main crossing point for the Gumo Kingdom to cross the river southward. There used to be a narrow bridge, but three days earlier, Damo City had demolished it out of fear of a Tang attack, forcing the Tang army to build a new bridge. Although the Tang army had gathered dozens of small boats, using them to cross the river was clearly impractical. However, they could be used to build a floating bridge—just like Cao Cao’s strategy at Chibi, where dozens of small boats were linked together with chains and covered with planks to allow the Tang army to cross quickly. Under Li Guangbi’s strict orders, the Tang army’s craftsmen and soldiers quickly built a simple floating bridge. By then, the 70,000-strong Tocharian army was still fifteen li away from the Tang army, leaving very little time. The Tang army accelerated its crossing.

“General Li, look!” a soldier shouted, pointing into the distance.

Li Guangbi raised his hand to lift the curtain and looked east. In the distance, dust billowed, and sandstorms obscured the sky, as if a sandstorm was approaching. The Tocharian army had finally arrived. Li Guangbi could even sense the angry and urgent mood of the Tocharian forces, who were eager to avenge themselves.

“Hatred will blind your eyes!” Li Guangbi murmured to himself. With a wave of his hand, he ordered, “Cross the bridge!”

The last thousand guards escorted Li Guangbi onto the floating bridge and rushed across to the other shore. In moments, a Turfan camel cavalry unit arrived first—this was the army of Gumo. The Turfan allied forces learned of the main Tang army’s whereabouts early in the morning and pursued them at all costs. Especially Gumo, as it was clear the Tang army was heading for their capital, leaving them nearly frantic with worry. However, during the pursuit, serious divisions arose within the allied forces. The Yuezhi, Gaofu, Wangting, and Gumo nations, suffering heavy losses due to their own interests, advocated for an immediate decisive battle against the Tang army. But Sa’id suggested waiting for reinforcements from the Abbasid Khurasan forces, arguing that a combined force would be more likely to defeat the invading Tang army. He was particularly concerned that the Tang might use a divide-and-conquer tactic to hold off their main forces, forcing them to repeat the fate of Ush City. He advised maintaining a distance from the Tang army to prevent their main forces from advancing south from the Great Khanate. Yet Sa’id’s proposal was only supported by the Great Khanate; the other four nations firmly opposed it. Neither side would yield, so Sa’id had no choice but to divide his forces. He led 40,000 troops to circle around from the south to prevent the Tang army’s main forces from escaping, while Qu Zhaomu and Alan led 60,000 combined troops to pursue the Tang army head-on. Before setting off, Sa’id repeatedly emphasized that all forces must meet by the river to attack the Tang army together and not act on their own. In the past, Sa’id’s decisions were unchallengeable, but these days, his command had suffered major mistakes, leading to the capture of A’huan City and Busi City by the Tang army’s main forces. Both cities were plundered, and the royal families and nobles were nearly wiped out by the Tang army. This had stripped Sa’id of his usual authority, and both the king of Yuezhi, Qu Zhaomu, and the king of Wangting, Alan, were deeply dissatisfied with him—especially since these two nations had the largest military forces in the allied forces. More importantly, Li Guangbi’s military actions had weakened the already fragile unity among the Turfan nations, causing them to focus only on their own interests. When the 60,000-strong army reached the river, Gumo’s king, Qisa, was extremely anxious. Without consulting the other nations, he led 6,000 Gumo troops across the floating bridge left by the Tang army to pursue them. Driven by the Gumo troops, the armies of Yuezhi and Wangting also crossed the bridge in pursuit. At that moment, Sa’id arrived from the south, less than 15 li away from the floating bridge—only half an hour away. It was in this short half hour that the opportunity Li Guangbi had been waiting for arose.