Chapter 520: The Night of the Full Moon (Part 2)

Li Qing’an perked up, immediately took the letter, and smiled at everyone, saying, “This Zharik is indeed a competent envoy. It’s a shame to use him as a scout.”
Everyone laughed. Qin Haiyang, the commander of the scouts, chimed in, “He’s a talent among our scout force. The general must not transfer him away.”
“I won’t transfer him. I’ll let him make his own choice.”
Li Qing’an smiled, took out a letter from the tube, unfolded it, glanced through it quickly, and then smiled. He handed it to everyone, saying, “Take a look! This Shangxi Dongzan truly intends to recognize the Arabs as his godfather.”
They passed the letter around. It clearly stated that Shangxi Dongzan acknowledged Arabia as Tibet’s suzerain state and signed and sealed it, meaning he wasn’t just talking the talk—he truly meant it.
Tian Qianzhen read the letter, frowned, and said, “This Shangxi Dongzan has ambitions to become the king of Tibet.”
Li Qing’an gave him an approving look and nodded with a smile, saying, “Explain in detail how you know that.”
“It’s simple. Agreeing to make Tibet a vassal state of the Arabs isn’t within Shangxi Dongzan’s authority. He’s just a general and has no power to decide such a significant matter. If he were just going through the motions, he wouldn’t acknowledge it in writing. Otherwise, if Tibet holds him accountable in the future, he’d be the first to flee. This only shows that Shangxi Dongzan already sees himself as the next king. Even if the Arabs don’t send troops, I think he’ll still ally with them as a vassal, seeking their protection and support to become the king of Tibet. That’s probably his two-pronged strategy.”
“General Tian sees through Shangxi Dongzan very well!”
Li Qing’an nodded and smiled, saying, “Since he has so many troops, of course he has ambitions. But I think he’s not the key to this entire campaign. The real key is Shang Jiasu.”
At the mention of Shang Jiasu, Helou Yurun felt he couldn’t remain silent. He had fought against Shang Jiasu in Qiemo City for days and nights, so he had the most insight into him.
Helou Yurun smiled and said, “General, this Shang Jiasu is our old rival. He’s always had a grudge against Shangxi Dongzan. The death of the king of Tibet this time sowed the seeds of hatred between them. Moreover, ever since General Tian seized their supplies, Shang Jiasu hasn’t received any food again. That’s why this fleeing general can’t head south to Sindh.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Tian Qianzhen bowed to him in gratitude. Since he had captured Khotan City, built a bridge over the Amu Darya River, and launched a night attack on the Tubo army’s supply convoy, these two battles had won him the respect of the Anxi army. Even Helou Yurun, who had always looked down on him, now spoke highly of him, which filled Tian Qianzhen with great enthusiasm—it meant he had truly integrated into the Anxi army.

He replied with a smile, “I agree with General Helou. Shang Jiasu’s supplies must be running low, and Shang Xidongzan is delaying the delivery of food in an attempt to control Shang Jiasu through food shortages. But this will only make Shang Jiasu’s subordinates hate Shang Xidongzan even more. General, we could make good use of the conflict between them.”

Li Qing’an smiled slightly. Hadn’t he arranged for Zalik to pretend to be a Persian envoy just for this day? Everything was unfolding according to his plan. He glanced at Shang Xidongzan’s declaration, which had no date—this was likely a deliberate move by Shang Xidongzan to leave himself a backdoor. Without a date, there was room for maneuver. Li Qing’an said slowly, “There are only three days left. Perhaps interesting things beyond our expectations will happen during these three days.”

……

Shang Jiasu indeed planned to head south to Sindh. He was well aware of the strength of the Tang army. After the battle at Khotan City, he developed an innate fear of Li Qing’an. He knew he was no match for Li Qing’an, and he was even more aware that the Tubo army had little chance of winning this battle in Turkestan. So he wanted to go to Sindh and carve out a new territory there.

But a shortage of military supplies held him back, and the Tang army had already sent a large force south, blocking the main routes to Sindh, making his dream of Sindh seem unattainable.

It was all a trap set by Shang Xidongzan. Whenever he thought of Shang Xidongzan, he remembered the humiliating defeat at Khotan City. To cover up his incompetence, he blamed Shang Xidongzan for the failure at Khotan. Over time, he even came to believe that it was Shang Xidongzan’s exclusion that led to his defeat there, while Shang Xidongzan had easily taken Turkestan and seized the glory that should have belonged to him.

For this reason, Shang Jiasu hated Shang Xidongzan deeply. But to obtain supplies, he had to make some compromises with Shang Xidongzan, seemingly agreeing to join forces against the Tang army.

The supplies arrived, only to disappear again. According to Shang Xidongzan, they had been stolen by the Tang army. But Shang Jiasu already had deep prejudices against Shang Xidongzan and didn’t believe his explanation. He suspected that Shang Xidongzan was acting up, stealing the supplies himself.

At present, military provisions were the lifeline of Shang Jiasu. His supplies would only last for two more days. Although he had sent people to plunder everywhere, the wealth and food in Turfan had already been looted by Shang Xidongzan. The food he could seize was utterly insignificant to sustain an army of eighty thousand.

With no other choice, Shang Jiasu gathered his key generals to discuss a plan to join forces with Shang Xidongzan to attack the Tang army in two days. It was undoubtedly a humiliating decision—an army of eighty thousand having to bow to sixty thousand.

Silence reigned in the meeting hall; no one wanted to speak. Should they obey Shang Xidongzan? He still hadn’t cleared himself of suspicion in the king’s death!

Only Shang Jiasu’s hoarse voice echoed in the room: “Gentlemen, I don’t want to either. I hate him deeply personally, but I have no choice. Our military supplies will only last for a short time. This is our weakness, and now that Shang Xidongzan has seized it, we can only deal with him, appease him. Once we get more supplies, we’ll head to Sindh, where we can build a new world for ourselves.”

Still, no one responded. Shang Jiasu began to worry. He suddenly realized he had underestimated the generals’ resentment toward Shang Xidongzan. They had supported him as commander precisely because they suspected him of being involved in the king’s death. Now, he wanted to cooperate with Shang Xidongzan, which naturally filled them with dissatisfaction.

Shang Jiasu forced a laugh but couldn’t think of anything to say. Just then, a soldier reported at the door, “Commander, envoys from the Abbasids have arrived. They brought ten thousand dan of grain and say they have urgent matters to discuss with you.”

Hearing about the ten thousand dan of grain, Shang Jiasu was overjoyed. Though not much, it would allow them to last ten days.

“Bring them in quickly!” Shang Jiasu went to the door himself to greet them. Whispers filled the hall—what were the Abbasids’ envoys doing here?

A dozen soldiers led an Arab in a white robe in, accompanied by his translator. The envoy bowed respectfully to Shang Jiasu and said a few words in Arabic. The translator translated, “This envoy says his name is Abu Hussein, a legal official from Khorasan. He has been sent by Khorasan’s governor, Anwar, to discuss the details of fighting against the Tang army with General Shang Jiasu…”

“Wait!”

Shang Jiasu interrupted the translator. He turned to look at the generals, who, like him, were filled with shock. Shang Jiasu asked, “When did we say we would cooperate with the Abbasid army?”

The translator conveyed this to the envoy, who shook his head in confusion and muttered a long string of words. The translator then said, “He says General Shang Xidongzan, the governor of Turfan, has already reached a cooperation agreement with their Caliph to deal with the Tang army. As subordinates, we should abide by the agreements reached by those in higher positions.”
“Nonsense!” Shang Jiasu cursed in anger. “Who does he think he is to represent me?”
His anger became uncontrollable. He turned to the others and said, “Did you hear that? That bastard has secretly made an agreement with the Arabs behind our backs. He might have betrayed something else as well, which is why the Arabs are so eager. We cannot accept this cooperation!”
Chaos ensued in the hall as everyone cursed Shang Xidongzan for his ulterior motives. At that moment, the special envoy and the translator exchanged a few words, after which the translator said, “The special envoy says that Shang Xidongzan has officially recognized the Abbasid Empire as the suzerain state of the Tubo Kingdom. You are all vassal subjects of the Abbasid Empire and should obey their commands without causing trouble.”
As soon as these words were spoken, the hall fell dead silent. Everyone looked at each other in shock—since when had Tubo become a vassal state of another country?
Shang Jiasu was stunned. Shang Xidongzan couldn’t be that bold! After a long pause, he hesitantly asked, “You say he officially recognized the Abbasid Empire as Tubo’s suzerain state. What evidence do you have?”
The envoy seemed to understand him and took out a declaration from his bosom, handing it to Shang Jiasu. Shang Jiasu slowly unfolded it and was instantly shocked. He couldn’t believe his eyes—there it was in black and white, with Shang Xidongzan’s signature and seal. There was no doubt about it. He could actually represent Tubo in recognizing the Arabs as its suzerain state—a power reserved only for the king!
The generals gathered around. Most of them were illiterate, so someone who could read aloud said, “From Shang Xidongzan of Tubo to His Majesty, the Caliph and Soverain of the Arab Empire: I officially recognize the Arab Empire as the suzerain state of the Tubo Kingdom. From top to bottom, everyone in Tubo is a vassal subject of the Arab Empire, paying taxes and pledging allegiance year after year, forever. I swear by the Great Snow Mountains and Namtso that my words shall be judged by the gods…”
Before he could finish, some people started cursing, “That bastard! It must be him! He’s the one who killed the king and wants to seize his throne. Now the truth is clear—we must avenge the king!”

“Revenge! Let’s take revenge!” Roars filled the hall as some drew their swords, intending to kill the Arab envoy. Shang Jiasu hurriedly stopped them. He said to the Arab envoy, “Go back! Tell your caliph that we reject this declaration. He cannot represent Tubo; he can only represent himself. Leave quickly, or your life will be in danger.”

Frightened, the Arab envoy retreated step by step and fled from the tent. At that moment, the generals surrounded Shang Jiasu. One of them said, “Commander, Shang Xidongzan is insane—he killed the king. Now his ambition to become king has been exposed. We must not tolerate him. As long as he remains, he will be a great threat to Tubo. Decide for yourself: will you join us, or not? If you do, we will appoint you as the governor of Toharistan and support you to become the ruler of Tubo. There’s no time to hesitate—make your decision!”

Shang Jiasu had long wanted to get rid of Shang Xidongzan, seize his army and supplies, and then lead his troops to Sindh to avoid fighting against the Tang army. There, he could rule Sindh and India. But he had been unable to find an excuse. Today, the Arab envoy had provided proof against Shang Xidongzan, prompting the generals to suggest killing him. How could he refuse?

Shang Jiasu gritted his teeth and said, “Kill him to avenge the king.”

……

That morning, the Tubo army in Lan City packed up their belongings, took the grain brought by the Arabs, and set off in force toward A’huan City. They had a solid reason: to prepare for the night of the full moon, the two Tubo armies needed to unite.

The army marched quickly, and by nightfall, they reached A’huan City. They camped about five li away from it. Shang Jiasu sent someone into the city to meet Shang Xidongzan, inviting him to come for serious talks about the battle plan and the temporary allocation of command authority.

When the Tubo army was still thirty li away from A’huan City, Shang Xidongzan received news that the Tubo army from Lan City had defected to him. He sneered inwardly. He knew they would come—he had run out of food and could only submit to them.

Just as Shang Jiasu wanted to take over A’huan City’s Tubo army, Shang Xidongzan wanted to take over these eighty thousand troops. They originally belonged to him, but due to the king’s sudden death, they had fallen into the hands of that fool, Shang Jiasu. Now he only had sixty thousand troops. If he could capture these eighty thousand, he would have the strength to confront the Tang army. If not, he could head south to India and Sindh, where he could ascend the throne and become emperor.

At that moment, Shang Jiasu’s messenger arrived and reported, “Our general has set up a large tent outside the city, far from the army. Please ask General Shang Xidongzan to go to that tent to discuss cooperation between the two sides.”
“I understand. I’ll go right away.”
After sending the messenger away, Shang Xidongzan clapped his hands. A few people entered through a side door—his bodyguards brought in a man who looked very similar to him, just a bit younger. With a little makeup, it would be impossible to tell the difference.
This was a double chosen by Shang Xidongzan from his hundred-thousand-strong army. Originally meant to patrol various regions of Toharistan on his behalf, he could now be put to use at a critical moment.
Shang Xidongzan patted his shoulder and said with a smile, “Go to the tent outside the city and meet with Shang Jiasu in my place. I really don’t like that man. Your voice is a bit hoarse—just say you’ve caught a cold recently. Remember! Talk to him more about the customs and culture of Toharistan to delay things as long as possible. I’ll reward you with a thousand sheep afterward.”
Unaware of the risks, the double agreed immediately, “General, rest assured. I’ll handle it well.”
“Good! Then set off now.”
The double bowed and followed his bodyguards. Shang Xidongzan watched his retreating figure and muttered coldly to himself, “Shang Jiasu, you’ve come to your own death. Don’t blame me for being heartless.”