Chapter 405: Conquering Without Battle

Khwarezm was located in the Aral Sea delta downstream of the Amu Darya River, surrounded by the Kyzyl Kum Desert in the east and the Karakum Desert in the south. It was a dry region with very few trees, but the abundant water resources of the Amu Darya River enabled irrigation, making Khwarezm a region with highly developed agricultural production.

Fifty-four years ago, the Arabs conquered this land. The king of Khwarezm led some of his subjects and nobles to flee to other countries. The Arabs then appointed surrendered nobles as new kings. Two generations of kings have passed since then, and the current king, named Shiffin, has converted to Islam. They pay taxes and provide labor to the Arabs every year. The Arabs also stationed troops there, turning Khwarezm completely into a vassal state of the Arabs. The king was merely a puppet, while military and political affairs were controlled by the governor of Khwarezm appointed by the governor of Khorasan.

Khwarezm was also known as the Kingdom of Huoxun by the Tang Dynasty. During the Tianbao era, the king of Huoxun once sent envoys to Chang’an for a pilgrimage. However, their intention was not to rejoin the Tang Dynasty but to gain trade benefits from it and to restore the northern branch of the Silk Road that once passed through Huoxun to Byzantium.

Politically, they pretended to comply with the Tang Dynasty, superficially accepting its imperial titles, but in reality, they were steadfast vassal states of the Arabs. Even though the Tang army had occupied all of Transoxiana, Khwarezm still refused to submit to the Tang Dynasty. In fact, they could not surrender either, as the Arab governor controlled their fate. Relying on the vast deserts as a barrier, they had so far avoided being attacked by the Tang army.

But as wars between the Tang Dynasty and the Arabs resumed, Khwarezm could no longer remain indifferent. It became the epicenter of this conflict. In mid-December, an army of 30,000 Tang soldiers set out on a grand march toward Khwarezm.

Alongside these 30,000 Tang soldiers, there was also a special force of 3,000 cavalry—these were the Romano-Crimean Legion, descendants of those from Khwarezm who had fled abroad. Today, they would return to their homeland to restore Khwarezm’s independence and dignity.

Alarslan was at the forefront of the army. He gazed at the land and blue sky of his homeland, greedily inhaling its scent. Even the vast desert appeared golden and enchanting, as if built from gold sand. At that moment, he was completely immersed in his thoughts. He seemed to see himself sitting on the throne his father had once occupied—a golden throne adorned with gems, the throne his father had never forgotten until his death. He wore a crown and held a scepter, receiving obeisances from thousands of subjects.

Just then, a Tang army cavalry rider rushed over and shouted, “Prince Alarslan, our general asks you to come.”

The rider’s cry interrupted his dreams, pulling Alarslan back to reality. “I’m coming right away!” He dared not delay and hurriedly followed the cavalry toward the Tang army.

Li Qing’an was in the middle of the Tang army. His expression was not relaxed, and he seemed slightly anxious. He had just received news that Tang scouts had spotted the main force of the Abbasid army on the northern edge of the Karakum Desert—about 40,000 troops, approximately 350 li away from Khwarezm. But those 40,000 were only part of the force; there were nearly 60,000 more troops on the distant steppes. In other words, the Abbasid main force numbered 100,000, and they were also marching toward Khwarezm.

The Tang army, however, consisted of only over 30,000 men. Li Qing’an’s strategy had been to seize Khwarezm first and force the Abbasid army to change its plans. But given the current situation, it seemed unlikely his strategy would work. His only advantage now was that they were less than 60 li away from Khwarezm, and they were traveling lightly, while the Abbasid army was slow due to its heavy baggage. At their current marching speed, the Abbasid army would reach Khwarezm in four days, leaving him very little time.

At that moment, Alarslan arrived. He bowed from his horse and said, “I pay my respects to the general!”

Li Qing’an set aside thoughts of the Abbasid army for the time and smiled slightly. “Your Majesty, you’re almost back in your homeland. Shiwa City is just 50 li ahead. Have you made a decision about the choice I offered you?”

“Reporting to the general, I have made my decision.”

After nearly half a month of careful consideration, Alarslan had finally decided on Khwarezm’s fate.

“I decide to move west of the Amu Darya River and establish my new kingdom between the Aral Sea and the Caspian Sea.”

“Very good. I believe you made this decision after careful thought. Then how do you plan to win the trust of your subjects? How will they believe you are the son of the former king of Khwarezm?”

“I have a token.”

Alarslan took out a gold crown adorned with gems from the saddle of his warhorse and said, “This is the crown of Khwarezm. It was a token left to me by my father. When he left the city of Khiva, he promised his people that one day, he or his son would return to Khwarezm wearing this crown. I also have royal family records from Khwarezm to prove my identity.”
Li Qing’an shook his head gently and smiled. “Dear King, if this had happened last year, perhaps your crown and those records would still be useful. But fifty-four years have passed. Khwarezm has long become one of the most loyal vassal states of the Arabs. How many people do you think still remember that promise from fifty-four years ago?”
A confident smile appeared on Alarslan’s face. “General, this isn’t the first time in fifty-four years that I’ve had contact with my homeland. As you said, my father and I have been sending people secretly to maintain contact with several Zoroastrian elders in my homeland. Last year, they even wrote to me, hoping I would return soon.”
“Are there still Zoroastrians in Khwarezm?” Li Qing’an asked in surprise.
“Yes. Like in the countries along the River Jaxartes, Khwarezm is currently divided equally between Zoroastrians and Muslims. However, the Zoroastrians are in a lowly position and live in poverty, while the Muslims are generally wealthy, especially the nobility, who enjoy the benefits provided by the Arabs…”
He was interrupted by Li Qing’an, who had no time to listen to such sociological descriptions. What he cared about were Khwarezm’s army and the situation with the Arabs—things he knew nothing about. Ever since the Tang army occupied the River Jaxartes region, Khwarezm had lost all contact with those countries, and no Sogdian merchants had gone there anymore. It was like a forgotten nation. Since Alarslan knew the situation, he should tell him these important details.
“I want to know about Khwarezm’s population and military strength.”
Alarslan nodded. “As of last year, Khwarezm had a population of over 300,000, with a military force of more than 10,000. In addition, there were 3,000 Arab troops stationed there. The military was mainly concentrated around the capital city of Khiva, while the farmlands were located in the delta further to the north.”
“General, look! A castle!” one of his guards shouted, pointing in the distance.
Li Qing’an raised his hand to shield his eyes and looked. Under the harsh sunlight, he saw it too—a tall red castle standing among several crescent-shaped sand dunes, its spire reaching high into the sky.
“That must be the Red City!”

Alarslan cried out in excitement as he saw the architecture of his homeland for the first time—the castle his father had spoken of to him many times.
“My father said that when entering Khwarezm from the south, the first castle one sees is the Red City, the mighty fortress that guards Khwarezm’s borders,” Alarslan said with pride. But in Li Qing’an’s eyes, the appearance of this castle meant the beginning of a conquest war.
“Pass my order—this castle must be taken by the Ningyuan Army!”
The 30,000-strong army led by Li Qing’an consisted of the Tang troops from Ningyuan, the Stone Kingdom, and Samarkand, each numbering 10,000 men. The commander of the Ningyuan Tang troops was Li Fei Yuanli, that of the Stone Kingdom Tang troops was Tian Zhen, and the commander of the Samarkand Tang troops was Bai Xiaode—all renowned generals in the Anxi Army.
Alarslan was stunned. He suddenly realized that his first encounter with his homeland would be through war. He straightened his back—yes, it was war! He would use war to drive away the wolves occupying his homeland’s land; he brought a just war.
“General, let us be the ones to conquer this first castle!”
Li Qing’an pondered for a moment before finally nodding. “Very well! Then let the Crimean Legion seize the castle.”
Alarslan turned his horse and rushed toward his troops, his heart brimming with passion. Fifty-four years of long wait had melted away at this moment. He took a deep breath, slowly drew his long sword, and rode ahead of the troops, striking the tips of their spears with his sword. His loud voice trembled in the wind: “Warriors of Khwarezm, this is our first battle to restore our homeland. If we die in battle, let our blood be shed on the land of our homeland!”
Three thousand young descendants of Khwarezm raised their spears and shouted, “To die for the restoration of our homeland!”
“Woo—”
The trumpets of the Khwarezm Legion sounded abruptly, their loud, resonant tones cutting through the sky. The warhorses began to gallop, the tips of the spears gleaming in the sunlight. Tears streamed down countless warriors’ faces—at this moment, they would rather die on their homeland’s soil.
……
The Red City, also known as the Qazil Qala Fortress in Khwarezm, was not large—forty steps long and wide, with double walls four zhang wide and seven zhang high, divided into two layers. The lower layer had column bases two zhang high, and the city gates were located on high steps, making it difficult for battering rams to be effective. The upper layer was a towering fortress built from massive, precisely fitted stones, extremely sturdy. It had a history of over 700 years.

A thousand troops were stationed in the castle, with 300 being Arab soldiers and 700 being local Khwarazmian troops. The commander was named Hussein, a rather ordinary name, and he was a low-ranking officer among the Arab soldiers. The defenders on the castle had already seen the massive Tang army approaching. The overwhelming number of troops filled them with terror. The 700 Khwarazmian troops had not experienced any warfare in two generations, while only a dozen of the 300 Arab soldiers had participated in civil wars; the rest were peasants recruited from northern Arabia. Faced with the Tang army surging in like a tide from the Caspian Sea, it was as if the gates of hell had opened for them. Hussein had fought in battles along the Tigris River and seen war and bloodshed. Though terrified, he felt somewhat reassured thinking that the sturdy castle could not even be shaken by trebuchets. The vast Tang army stopped two li away, leaving the opportunity to attack the castle to the Krymian forces. However, a harsh reality confronted these warriors determined to restore their homeland—they were all cavalry and could not ride up the high city walls; they could only shoot arrows. The trumpets sounded again, and the Krymian forces charged. Three thousand cavalry rushed forward like lightning, circling the castle like a spinning carousel. They fired arrows in dense showers at the top of the walls. At first, it worked—dozens of defenders were caught off guard, shot by arrows, and fell screaming from the walls. The warriors’ hearts swelled with triumph, and they rode faster and fired more arrows, but soon it became ineffective as all the defenders on the walls hid. Arslan was extremely anxious, biting his lips white, but helpless. He rode over to Li Qing’an and bowed, saying, “Let my warriors charge into battle! We have no way to take this castle.” Li Qing’an had observed for a long time. With a slight smile, he said, “Actually, there’s no need for a large-scale attack to take this castle. I’ll show you how Eastern soldiers can subdue an enemy without fighting.” He immediately ordered, “Retreat!” The loud drumbeats sounded, and the Tang army began to withdraw slowly. Driven by the Tang army, Arslan’s forces also gave up the siege and retreated southward, moving about ten li away. As the Tang army left, the castle defenders emerged one after another like groundhogs. They leaned on the city walls, staring in surprise at the retreating Tang army, unsure of what had happened.

At that moment, a group of about 300 Tang army infantry rushed forward. Each of them carried four or five short spears and charged to within 50 steps of the city wall before throwing their spears upward. Yet the spears never reached the wall and fell back down, drawing mocking laughter from those on the wall. They had never seen Tang soldiers before, and the clumsiness with which the Tang soldiers threw their spears dispelled their fear. They boldly leaned over the wall, laughing and deliberately exposing themselves to the Tang soldiers, but the flying spears never reached them.

After exhausting all their spears, the 300 Tang soldiers retreated, and another 500 came forward, using the same spears and showing equal clumsiness. The defenders on the wall insulted them with the vilest curses, “You’re not even as good as women, Orientals! Did you grow up on milk?”

The insults only led to more failed attempts at throwing spears. Three batches of 1,000 soldiers each tried, and only one managed to get a spear onto the wall. However, Hussein grabbed the spear shaft and threw it back with great force, driving it deep into the sand. This terrified the Tang soldiers, who fled in panic. The humiliating scene caused uproarious laughter from the castle.

Arslan rode far behind, having also never seen Tang soldiers in battle. Though he knew they had defeated powerful Arabs, their poor performance now made him frown.

Another group of 300 Tang infantry stepped forward, still armed with spears. Suddenly, Arslan noticed that Li Qing’an, the Tang army’s commander, was among the soldiers. His eyes widened in shock.

This time, the Tang soldiers did not approach to throw spears but stopped at 120 steps away. The defenders on the wall watched them in confusion, unsure of their intentions. One of the soldiers rushed forward and shot a white letter onto the wall from 50 steps away. There was no arrowhead; the shaft carried a letter written in Arabic.

A soldier picked up the letter and ran to Hussein, handing it to him. The moment Hussein took the letter, Li Qing’an fired an iron arrow from 120 steps away. The arrow was swift as lightning—a black streak in the sunlight. With tremendous force, it struck Hussein in the face. With a “thud,” the arrow tip emerged from the back of his skull, pushing him several steps backward until he crashed into the back wall. The arrow entered through his mouth, his eyes bulged, his mouth opened wide, and his face twisted in a terrifying expression. He was nailed to the wall alive. Silence reigned on the wall; everyone was stunned.

Alarslan’s heart seemed to stop beating. He had never seen such powerful and domineering archery before. At that moment, he felt endless fear toward Li Qing’an.
“Boom! Boom! Boom!”
The war drums of the Tang army rang out, shaking the earth. Suddenly, 20,000 cavalrymen of the Tang army charged forward like a tsunami, with dust covering the sky. Their awe-inspiring momentum made even heaven and earth seem to change. Each of the 20,000 cavalrymen carried a bag filled with sand, racing past the city walls and throwing the bags. The dust swallowed the entire castle. When the cavalry retreated and the dust settled, a huge sand mound appeared right beside the city walls, stretching all the way to the top of the walls—enough for riders to charge straight up.
At that moment, the 20,000 cavalrymen suddenly let out thunderous shouts, yelling in Sogdian, “Surrender and live!”
The dull sound of the drums rang out again, one after another—“Boom! Boom!” The sound was so oppressive that it almost stopped people’s hearts from beating. Alarslan collapsed to his knees, powerless. The might of the Tang army had conquered him. He would never forget what happened today.
The Tang army’s powerful psychological tactics completely shattered the Khwarezmian troops, who had not fought in two generations. No one could stop them anymore. They threw down their spears, opened the castle gates, and rushed out desperately, kneeling on the ground with raised hands, shouting, “We surrender! We surrender!”
Soon after, 300 Persian soldiers also surrendered. Most of them were unexperienced farmers from the northern regions of Persia. Hussein’s death had terrified them beyond measure.
Tang soldiers stepped forward to accept their surrender and take control of the castle. At that moment, Li Qing’an rode slowly toward Alarslan and said with a faint smile, “Do you understand now? This is how one conquers enemies without fighting.”