The Great Tang General

On the way to the Western Regions, Li Xuan also inspected the counties of Gansu Province and the Hexi Corridor.

All the way to Dunhuang.

Nowadays, the Liangjing Ancient Road and the Qiaohan Ancient Road are being paved with cement roads in full swing.

That was the first cement road in the Tang Dynasty.

After the production of cement, sand and gravel in the Tang Dynasty gradually increased, Li Xuan wanted to build a cement road from Chang'an to Dunhuang.

Make the Tang Dynasty more powerful to control the Western Regions.

In March of the tenth year of Qianyuan, Li Xuan went on an inspection tour and arrived at Dunhuang, where he had been away for a long time.

Today, Dunhuang has developed into a pearl in an oasis.

Its scale exceeded that of Liangzhou City during the Tianbao period.

Dunhuang stands on the frontier, and as an important road leading to Yumen Pass and Yangguan, it has a prosperous trade.

Especially since the Qianyuan and Yuanzai periods, population migration, ethnic minority settlements, etc. have promoted the prosperity of Dunhuang City.

Li Xuan ordered the Feilong Imperial Army, Longwu Army, Yulin Army, etc. to rest in Dunhuang City for half a month before continuing their march.

After leaving Dunhuang, the road became extremely clear.

During the ten years, there were only a few incidents of bandits robbing merchant routes.

The Dunhuang Military Governor's Office has been responsible for suppressing the horse bandits outside the Yumen Pass and destroying many tribes.

Especially in the past three years, there have been no reports of horse bandits robbing merchant routes.

No matter where you come from, you have to behave yourself on the Silk Road.

The imperial court used the captives to build a post station, a warehouse, a hay field, and a teahouse or tavern every thirty miles on the road from Yumen Pass to Xizhou and Beiting, and from Yangguan to Qiuci.

And try to plant trees at a time when desertification is not serious.

In this era, there were oases, rivers and lakes everywhere along the Silk Road.

It’s just that some oases are too small.

During the Han Dynasty, the southern route of the Western Silk Road was at its peak.

Li Xuan planned to restore the southern route of the Silk Road and build Loulan Town at the mouth of the Chihe River to Puchang Sea (now Lop Nur), which would become another transit point.

At the same time, it is convenient to control the area north of the Altun Mountains (now Ruoqiang).

The Western Regions are too vast, and even today, there are still small tribes that refuse to submit to the king.

Although they cannot cause any trouble, the Tang Dynasty still needs to be more cautious.

When Li Xuan was stationed in Dunhuang, the Arab Empire had already sensed that a storm was brewing.

Because a year ago, the elite imperial guards of the Tang Dynasty had arrived at the city of Samakan in the Pamir Protectorate.

More troops from Anxi, Congling, Beiting and Dunhuang continued to enter the river along the Congling Ancient Road and the Qianquan Ancient Road.

In addition, the various tribes of Karluk, Uighur, the Thirty-Six Kingdoms of the Western Regions, the various tribes of Turgesh, and 5,000 Tibetan soldiers gathered their elite warriors westward after receiving the order from Li Xuan's Heavenly Khan.

After more than a year of storage, food and supplies piled up like mountains in the Western Region military camps.

The merchants who used to come in an endless stream have almost all become soldiers and transportation and logistics personnel.

Such a big thing cannot be kept secret in the river for long.

Among the Tocharian countries, there are still people who believe in the Arab religion. The spies of the Arab Empire cannot penetrate the Yumen Pass, but in the mixed Western Regions, it is easy to get information.

Not to mention Persia, which is like a sieve.

The Tang Dynasty ordered the Persian King Romeshhun and the Persian Prime Minister Khalid ibn Barmak to store food along the march.

The Tang Dynasty could transport money and purchased grain from Hezhong and the Western Regions to Mulu City.

Li Xuan also asked Khalid ibn Barmak to organize as many civilians as possible to maintain the food supply.

Of the 80,000 troops currently stationed in the Persian Empire, only the elite troops follow the Tang Dynasty to fight, and the rest are used to transport food.

A staff general reported to Li Xuan that the Tang Dynasty's grain should be transported to the front line of the battlefield south of the Caspian Sea.

Li Xuan did not agree.

When the army is on a long expedition, stability is the priority.

Li Xuan didn't quite believe the situation in the Persian Kingdom.

Mulu City is adjacent to the Pamir Protectorate, and the Tang Dynasty can easily control it.

Anywhere further away may be out of reach.

If the food and grass that have been transported for more than a year were to be transported to the Caspian Sea, any unexpected changes would cause the Western Expedition to fail.

Li Xuan didn't mind wasting more time, he had to keep the fighter plane firmly in his hands.

Li Xuan regarded this Western Expedition as a "logistics battle" that would be delivered over thousands of miles.

He never thought that the Tang Dynasty would be defeated in the battle between the two armies.

As long as the logistics are not a problem, relying on strong soldiers, good armor, and powerful crossbows; relying on the brave and combat-skilled iron cavalry and light cavalry; relying on the firearms of the Shenjiying, the Tang Dynasty can easily defeat the enemy when the two armies confront each other.

Moreover, wasn't it Li Xuan's strategy to temporarily store the grain in Mulu City?

The Jinlong Division of the Embroidered Uniform Guard developed many Persian insiders in the Persian Kingdom, allowing Li Xuan to fully understand the situation in the Persian Kingdom.

After the rule of Pushan and his son Romijun, they favored Khalid ibn Barmak, but after gaining wealth and honor, Khalid ibn Barmak became greedy for pleasure.

The ability is also average.

This caused the Persian Empire to handle people's livelihood very poorly.

The people of Khorasan are rebellious.

When the Caliphate was at its most powerful, the Khorasans always rebelled.

The mighty Caliphs in history could not scare the people of Khorasan, and the current Khan is still unable to intimidate them.

The root cause is that some people can no longer survive.

Since death is inevitable, many people choose to live towards death.

The Caliphate, capital, Baghdad.

When the Abbasids first came to power, they initially established their capital in Anbar.

But the problem is that the Roman Empire is now also the mortal enemy of the Caliphate.

The second caliph, Abu Jalfar Abbas, who came to power by killing his brother, believed that Anbar was not suitable as the capital.

It is close to the Syrian region, which is not conducive to the strategic buffer of the Arab Empire.

So Abu Jalfar Abbas personally surveyed the area and selected a small town called Baghdad on the right bank of the Tigris River to build a new capital.

The Black Caliphate established Baghdad earlier than in history, and the Tang army was at the throat of the Caliphate Empire, making Abu Jalfar Abbas more anxious.

In the fifteenth year of Tianbao, Abu Jalfar Abbas started construction as soon as he stabilized the situation in the country.

After four years of construction, the new capital was completed.

Baghdad was the capital of the Arab Empire. The city was round and was also known as the "round city".

The city consists of three layers: the outer city, the inner city and the imperial city, with three walls forming three concentric circles with the imperial city as the center.

Now, Abu Jalfar Abbas was in the main hall of the imperial city, feeling extremely anxious.

The Mansur of this time and space did not have "Mansur" (meaning winner). The general of the Tang Dynasty defeated the Arab coalition forces many times, beheaded the governor of Khorasan, the great emir and other marshals, captured the prime minister and marshals, and restored the Persian Kingdom, causing the Black Arabs to collapse for a time.

Fortunately, Abu Jalfar Abbas stabilized the situation with his strong hands.

Abu Jalfar Abbas, now with a head full of white hair, dreams of recovering the land south of the Caspian Sea, recovering the Khorasan region, recovering the Fars region, and recovering the Transoxiana region to avenge his previous humiliation.

But that man was no longer the Heavenly General, but the Heavenly Khan.

After Abu Jalfar Abbas usurped the throne, he was still thinking about Li Xuan, a member of the royal family. He knew that sooner or later Li Xuan would become too powerful to be trusted by the emperor, Li Longji, and the emperor of the Tang Dynasty would "put away the bow when the bird is dead and the dog is cooked when the rabbit is dead."

But unexpectedly, within just a few years, news came that Li Xuan had also usurped the throne. He went from being the General of Tiance to the Crown Prince, and then to the Emperor. He transformed himself into a powerful figure that shook both heaven and earth.

Moreover, Li Xuan was young, unlike Abu Jalfar Abbas, who was almost fifty years old when he usurped the throne.

It was thought that the Tang Dynasty would not make any moves, and the Arab Empire could continue to accumulate strength and start counterattacking when the Tang Dynasty declined.

After all, Chang'an of the Tang Dynasty is too far away from Persia.

Unexpectedly, not long ago, Abu Jalfar Abbas received the news that the Tang Dynasty had deployed a large number of troops in the river.

The Persian Empire was also mobilizing.

After repeated attempts to inquire about the situation, Abu Jalfar Abbas confirmed that the Tang Dynasty was going to attack the Arabs.

Moreover, it is very likely that the Heavenly Khan will lead the army in person.

Blessings are unparalleled, and misfortunes do not come singly.

Just a day ago, Abu Jalfar Abbas received military orders from northern Syria, and Constantine V led the army south again.

The tents in front of the fortresses of the Roman Empire and the Arab Empire became increasingly dense.

Abu Jalfar Abbas understood that the Roman Empire and the Tang Dynasty had formed an alliance and agreed to attack the Arab Empire together.

The Tang Dynasty alone was enough to make it difficult for the Arab Empire to cope with it.

The great reputation of Tian Khan is still spread in the Caliphate Empire.

Constantine V's attack made Abu Jalfar Abbas feel even worse.

"Prime Minister, Grand Emir, the country and the truth are at the point of life and death again. I prayed to Allah in the hall last night, but received no answer. Where is destiny?"

Abu Jalfar Abbas asked an old man and a middle-aged man in the hall, his words decadent.

This was Ibu Salam, the new vizier appointed by Abu Jalfar Abbas after the capture of the previous vizier Abu Ayyub Sulayman al-Mauryani.

The middle-aged man was the new Grand Emir who commanded the entire nation's military.

He was also the nephew of Abu Jalfar Abbas.

"Caliph, Allah will protect us in the most critical times. It is not the most critical time until Allah appears in the world. Alexander died in the expedition. If Li Xuan dares to come, his grave is south of the Caspian Sea."

Although Ibu Salam made some bold remarks, they were more of a comfort to Abu Jalfar Abbas.

He understood the pressure that Abu Jalfar Abbas was under.

We also know that Abu Jahrfar Abbas was devoted to his country and wanted to restore it to its peak, to spread the Arab religion throughout the world and to convert those who were ignorant and brutal.

"Caliph, it's time to prepare for war. Our warriors have been reborn and will not forget their hatred. We will defend our country and defeat any evil invasion."

Ibu Salam once again spoke in encouragement.

Over the past decade, the Arab Empire has undergone new changes, its vitality has been restored to a certain extent, and its people have become more pious to Allah.

As a devout Arab believer, Ibu Salam believed that he could avenge his previous humiliation.

"Yes! Even if we are in a difficult situation, is it more difficult than when we left the desert? The caliphs have worked hard for generations to give us the land we now depend on for survival. How can we have the face to return to the desert? Will the blood and sweat we shed when leaving the desert turn into tears in the temple of Mecca?"

Ibu Salam's words brought back the fighting spirit in Abu Jalfar Abbas's eyes.

Although there are setbacks now, once we can repel the Tang Dynasty and retake the Khorasan region, it will be a piece of cake.

As a caliph, he wanted to expand the territory for the Arabs like Osman did.

"The Caliph is wise!"

Ibu Salam performed a salute.

The Arab Empire has gone through many twists and turns to reach where it is today. They don't want to lose it all.

"Grand Emir, what do you think we should do? Should we attack proactively or stick to the defense?"

Abu Jalfar Abbas asked the Grand Emir, who had remained silent.

"Even if the Arab Empire summons the governors from all regions, plus the imperial guards and border defense forces, there are only more than 150,000 troops. We are attacked from all sides, and the battle lines are thousands of miles apart. It is easy to fail."

"Compared to the Romans, the Tang people are more vicious. The former Heavenly General, like a lion, is full of desire for conquest. I suggest that we build a defense line in northern Syria and reinforce the castle to slow down the offensive of Constantine V. Use the main force of the Guards and the main force of the governors of various places to fight against the Tang Dynasty."

"The specific tactics still need to be discussed carefully..."

The Emir only roughly outlined his plan and had no more detailed ideas yet.

But the Grand Emir's suggestion coincided with that of Abu Jalfar Abbas.

He also felt that Constantine V was nothing compared to Li Xuan.

The last time, Constantine V took advantage of the situation and led the army in person, but was repelled by him personally.

Abu Jalfar Abbas naturally looked down on his defeated general.

But Li Xuan is different, he is as aggressive as a tiger.

The focus of the war should be in the east.

"Prime Minister, in the past ten years or so, we have been recruiting believers in the Persian Kingdom. We have made them believe in the Arab religion again. Can we help them to revolt now?"

Abu Jalfar Abbas thought of the pawns left in the Persian Empire.

It should be noted that there were not only Persians in the Khorasan region, but also some Arabs.

Although some people believed in Zoroastrianism on the surface, they actually yearned for the Arab religion in their hearts.

"The new Persian king, Romithun, is a hedonist, and the traitor Barmak is incompetent. The Tang Dynasty has also taken away their gold and silver mines. The Persians are starving, but Barmak is still selling food to the Tang people. As long as we send warriors to call for an uprising, they will surely rise up."

Ibu Salam said firmly.

Although the two countries were hostile, the Arab Empire had ruled for a long time and was able to use Arab religion to exert influence on the Persian Empire.

Without the support of the Tang Dynasty, the Arab Empire would have overthrown the Persian Empire long ago.

Now that the Tang Dynasty is invading the Arab world, the chaos in the Persian Kingdom may become the key to the weak defeating the strong.

Thus, Abu Jafar Abbas calmed down and thought carefully.

Although triggering civil strife in the Persian Kingdom now could delay the Tang Dynasty's offensive, it would not maximize the strategy.

If the Tang Dynasty's expeditionary force entered Persia, would the Persians dare to fight against the sharp blades of the Tang Dynasty's cavalry with their flesh and blood?
After much thought, Abu Jalfar Abbas's eyes lit up. Combining the words of the prime minister and the great emir, he came up with a plan that could be tried...

After conspiring with Ibu Salam and the Grand Emir.

Abu Jalfar Abbas ordered 10,000 guards, led by the Grand Emir, to march to the northern part of Syria. The troops, mainly Syrian heavy infantry, guards and border guards, totaled nearly 50,000, to fight against the Roman Empire.

He then ordered the Governor-General of Egypt, the Governor-General of Azerbaijan and other governors, as well as the troops around the Iraqi region and 30,000 guards, to follow his command and mobilize.

Together with the border guards on the border between the Arabs and Persia, they fought against the Tang Dynasty.

Abu Jafar Abbas also had his people announce the doctrine and mobilize the men and women to transport food and supplies to the border between the two places...

(End of this chapter)