The Great Tang General

The artillery fire stopped.

Tens of thousands of Tang soldiers continued to enter the city to fight.

The stubborn Arab soldiers who resisted in Fuyu were defeated one after another and had no power to resist at all.

For several days, the Arab soldiers were continuously devastated and had almost no time to rest.

They were also bombarded by continuous artillery fire and were physically and mentally exhausted. Facing the Tang army that was wearing armor, holding sharp blades, and even crossbows and muskets, failure was inevitable.

The city of Hamadan was in chaos. More and more Arab soldiers, with no other options left, chose to kneel down and beg for mercy from the Tang army.

Including some high-ranking officials of the Arab world.

But Abu Jalfar Abbas refused to admit defeat. He held his sword in his hand, just like when he was young, just like when he started the uprising to overthrow the Umayyad dynasty...

The city was captured and the Caliph died.

Abu Jafar Abbas was clinging to his fate.

He led the Guards and met the armored infantry led by Bai Yuanguang, deputy governor of Beiting, in the center of Hamadan city.

The two sides fought without any explanation.

"Protect the Caliph!"

The guards were loyal to Abu Zhalfar Abbas. While fighting with the Tang army, they also had to protect Abu Zhalfar Abbas.

But Abu Jalfar Abbas was wearing golden armor, and his identity was obvious at a glance. He was the target of the Tang army's attack.

It was this phrase "protect the Caliph" that exposed the identity of Abu Jalfar Abbas.

Because there were Tang military officers who could understand the Arab language.

"The man in golden armor is the ruler of the Arab world. Capture him alive..."

The Tang army's offensive became more fierce. Their spears thrust forward, breaking through the armor continuously and knocking down these guards.

The young soldiers were eager for military merit.

As long as the Caliph of the Arabs can be captured, all officers below the rank of general who participate will be promoted three levels.

Faced with the ferocious Tang army, the Arab guards were unable to resist and retreated one after another.

Some Arab generals had already been killed by Bai Yuanguang, and Bai Yuanguang led his personal guards to press forward step by step.

"Don't worry about me. Just do your best to kill the invaders and perish together with them..."

Abu Jalfar Abbas was surrounded by the guards and roared hysterically.

It is impossible for him to penetrate the armor with a knife in his hand.

But the mission of the Arab Guards was to protect Abu Jalfar Abbas.

They always stayed by Abu Jafar Abbas's side and would not leave him even until the last man standing.

"Soldiers, work harder. This is the credit of our Beiting Army. We can't let other armies take it away..."

Bai Yuanguang shouted, and he led the charge holding a long spear, looking even more ferocious.

Bai Yuanguang was a Sinicized Turk, and his father was Daosheng, the governor of Shuozhou.

He had the bravery of the Hu people and was fearless in battle. He was wounded many times and relied on his military achievements to become the deputy governor of Beiting and the rank of lieutenant general. He was one of the most powerful generals in the Beiting army.

"Oh!"

The six-foot-five-inch-tall Bai Yuanguang glared with his tiger eyes and swung his halberd with great force. A Arab guard wearing chain mail was hit in the head and died on the spot.

Then, with the support of his personal guards, he killed everyone in sight, and no one could match him.

The halberd in his hand was like a living thing, stabbing left and right, slashing up and down, each halberd was as fast as lightning and extremely accurate. Wherever the halberd tip touched, blood splashed, and the armor and flesh of the Arab Guards were torn apart easily like paper.

Bai Yuanguang sometimes used the halberd as a stick, sweeping across to break bones and tendons of approaching enemies; sometimes he used the tip of the halberd to lightly pierce the enemy's throat, chest and other vital points, taking their lives instantly.

His only weakness was his poor defensive ability, and he was stabbed many times by the spears of the Arab Guards.

Fortunately, Bai Yuan was wearing triple armor and was not hurt.

In two quarters of an hour, the guards around Abu Jalfar Abbas were gradually killed or wounded.

Even the Governor of Azerbaijan and the Governor of Armenia were killed by a few soldiers.

Some civil and military officials did not have the courage to die and surrendered to the Tang army.

Abu Jalfar Abbas watched helplessly as the guards around him died, his eyes were bloodshot and the bloodshot in his eyes bloomed like flowers.

"King of the Arabs, why don't you surrender immediately..."

The Tang army surrounded the last Abu Jalfar Abbas.

Bai Yuanguang stepped on the corpses of the Arab guards and ordered the officers who could speak Arab language to shout at Abu Zarfar Abbas.

"I am not a king, I am a caliph..."

Abu Jalfar Abbas gripped the knife tighter and spoke word by word.

The Caliph is Allah's agent on earth and the leader of the unity of religion and politics.

This is his dignity.

"Put down the blade and I'll spare your life..."

The officer shouted again.

Abu Zarfar Abbas can achieve greater success while alive than Abu Zarfar Abbas who is dead.

In any era, capturing the king of a country is more worthy of praise.

"Only Allah can judge the Caliph, not the so-called Heavenly Khan. And how can the Caliph be captured by the infidels?"

"Tell Li Xuan that this is my fate, but it is definitely not the end of the Arabs..."

Abu Jalfar Abbas had a determined look in his eyes as he spoke.

As soon as he finished speaking, he placed the sword on his neck and gritted his teeth.

"Pfft..."

Blood gushed out and Abu Jalfar Abbas slowly fell backwards.

He firmly believed that it was right for the Black Caliphs to replace the White Caliphs.

But the current fortune is not with the Arabs.

Like the sun and the moon, they rise and fall.

The Tang Dynasty is now the sun at its peak, possessing mysterious power.

But sooner or later, the Cannibals will get these.

More than a hundred years ago, the Arabs were still tribes, but they were unified under the banner of Arab religion.

In just a hundred years, the vast Arab Empire was established.

Before his death, Abu Jalfar Abbas wished his people a safe and smooth return to the peninsula.

I hope that the "Sword of Allah" will appear again among the people and walk out of Mecca again.

The Tang Dynasty, which mastered firearms, was so powerful that it was trembling.

Chang'an seems like a legendary city.

Everyone knows that the Tang Dynasty was very big, but no one knows how big it was.

Abu Jalfar Abbas looked at the blue sky, and when his consciousness faded, he saw the sun in the sky.

In a trance, it seemed like there was a figure I had never met before.

That was the appearance of Li Xuan in his imagination...

In fact, there has been constant struggle for power and profit within the Arab Empire.

During the theocratic republic era, three of the four caliphs died at the hands of assassins.

The love and hatred between the Black Caliphate and the White Caliphate.

Not to mention that Abu Jalfar Abbas came to power by murdering his cousin Abu Abbas.

No matter who or what it is, once you take off the gorgeous outer layer, it will always make people think deeply.

Bai Yuanguang just felt sorry that Abu Zherfar Abbas committed suicide, but he did not dwell on it too much.

Their Beiting Army forced the Caliph of the Arabs to death, which was a brilliant achievement recorded in history, and the reward they received was no less than capturing him alive.

Bai Yuanguang ordered his men to preserve the body of Abu Zarfar Abbas and wait for the Supreme to inspect it after the war.

Those Arab civil and military officials who were captured alive were filled with shame and sorrow.

The Arab Empire was destroyed at this moment. They were all sinners, despicable cowards who loved life and feared death.

The four gates of Hamadan were breached from the inside out, and the news of Abu Jalfar Abbas's death gradually spread through the fleeing soldiers.

Without their backbone, the Arab soldiers were in even worse shape.

The Arab Marshal Zhewen Hahoy, who commanded the East City, was killed by a second lieutenant when the Tang army broke through the East City.

By noon to dusk, the war in Hamadan was over.

The body of Abu Jalfar Abbas was carried in front of Li Xuan.

"Abu Jalfar Abbasid Chidaijudan was brave and worthy of respect. After the battle, he was buried at the foot of the mountain east of Hamadan."

When Li Xuan saw the body of Abu Zarfar Abbas, he did not express much emotion.

In history, the Caliphate was undoubtedly the world's number one empire at its peak.

The power of the Caliphate was not due to its founding monarch, Abu Abbas, who was known as the butcher.

Instead, it was founded by Abu Jalfar Abbas, who called himself "Mansur".

Mansur means the victor.

But at this time and space, Abu Jalfar Abbas did not consider himself a winner.

Because there is a Khan!

That's why he didn't change his name to Mansur.

Because of this, people who know the history of the Caliphate think that Abu Jalfar Abbas is like Emperor Taizong of Tang, Li Shimin.

Even though his civil and military achievements were inferior to those of Li Shimin, his contribution to the Arab Empire was no less than Li Shimin's to the Tang Dynasty.

The victor makes the king, the loser the bandit. Li Xuan was destined to use Abu Jalfar Abbas as a stepping stone to spread the culture of the Tang Dynasty to the Mediterranean.

"All Arab prisoners will be escorted out of Hamadan. Notices will be posted to appease the people in the city. If they behave themselves, they will not be held accountable for supporting the rebellious army. Those who refuse to repent will be severely punished."

"Also, search every house in the city for the Arab nobles, officials, and soldiers. Anyone who dares to protect them will be enslaved..."

Li Xuan issued orders one after another.

When conquering a foreign city, especially a religious country like the Arab Empire, severe punishments must be used to suppress any disobedience.

"According to the decree..."

After receiving the order, the generals cleaned up the battlefield while thoroughly investigating the city of Hamadan.

As expected, quite a few remnants were caught.

Although the Arabs in Hamadan hated the Tang Dynasty, most of them dared not say a word in order to save their lives.

There was one thing they didn't expect.

Although the Tang Dynasty's artillery often accidentally killed civilians when attacking cities.

But after entering the city, they did not start a massacre, rape or looting.

Just occupy government offices and warehouses.

The wealth and food of ordinary people were preserved.

This led to the Arabs who soon used this as a platform to argue for the Tang Dynasty and the Heavenly Khan.

Two days later, the city of Nehawin south of Hamadan fell.

Li Xuan carried the body of Abu Jalfar Abbas to the city of Nihawin.

The cold barrel of the gun faced Nihawin directly.

The number of defenders in the city of Nihawin was less than 5,000, most of whom were defeated soldiers who fled back from the Kizil-Uzan River.

The death of Abu Jalfar Abbas was the final straw that broke the camel's back.

The defender of Nehawin City wanted to resist stubbornly, but was killed by an Azerbaijani general. He led the Arab soldiers who had lost all fighting spirit to surrender to the Tang army.

At this point, the Tang Dynasty obtained a large amount of grain from the cities of Hamadan and Nihawin.

It is enough to extend the Tang Dynasty's expeditionary force for half a year, buying favorable time for Tang Dynasty's layout.

"Report... Your Majesty. General Li and Commander Li attacked from both sides and defeated 50,000 Arab soldiers in Persepolis... Now General Li requests to lead the troops to the Persian Gulf and cooperate with Commander Ma to eliminate the last remaining enemies in Basra..."

Not long after the Battle of Nihawin City ended, a messenger went to Hamadan City to report to Li Xuan.

"Approval for General Lee's action..."

Li Xuan felt relieved.

After the army crossed the Kizil-Uzan River, Li Xuan ordered Li Guangbi to lead 10,000 Shen Ce cavalry and 10,000 affiliated Hu cavalry to encircle the army of Persepolis.

Catch them off guard.

Although Persepolis is located in an important location, its city defense is far inferior to that of Hamadan and cannot accommodate a large number of soldiers.

They could only rely on the terrain for defense.

However, they did not expect that the Tang cavalry would suddenly appear behind them, and failure was inevitable.

With the fall of the Persepolis front, the Arabs had no chance of turning the tide.

Li Xuan believed that he would soon hear the good news that the city of Basra had been captured.

After the main force led by Li Xuan was stationed in Hamedan City for half a month, Li Xuan ordered Li Sheng, the governor of Beiting, to lead 5,000 Beiting elite cavalry, 5,000 Tiance ironclad soldiers, and 5,000 Tibetan elite cavalry from the Hamedan area and head north to attack the Azerbaijan region.

In this battle, he must take control of the rich Caucasus located west of the Caspian Sea.

Azerbaijan was a large province of the Caliphate, and its governor was highly respected in the Empire.

At the same time, it was also a rebellious region of the Arab Empire, which betrayed the Arab Empire many times. The indigenous people there were not Arabs and did not obey the rule of the Arabs.

Now that Azerbaijan is empty, it is time to attack it.

Li Xuan asked Li Sheng to enter Azerbaijan in the name of clearing out the remnants of the Arabs.

Any noble or commoner who sheltered the Arabs would be enslaved and their assets confiscated.

At the same time, we should try our best to keep Azerbaijan's arable land intact so that it can provide some food for the expeditionary force next year.

The vast pastures in the Azerbaijan region also served as a source of supplies for the expeditionary force.

The Armenian region in western Azerbaijan borders the Roman Empire, and Li Xuan showed no mercy.

After Li Sheng completed the conquest of Azerbaijan, he immediately entered Armenia.

The actual control is the territory that once belonged to the Arab Empire.

Li Xuan wanted Li Sheng to see the Black Sea.

There is the Khazar Khanate in the north of Azerbaijan, and Li Xuan ordered Li Sheng to act at his discretion.

Do not conflict with the Khazar Khanate, but also do not allow the Khazar Khanate to take advantage of the situation.

If the Roman Empire was not doing well, it cannot be blamed on the Tang Dynasty’s ambitions.

After Li Sheng set off, Li Xuan left behind some soldiers to guard Hamadan and Nihawin and guard the prisoners.

He personally led the main force and continued the westward expedition.

There was little resistance along the way.

In some villages, nine out of ten houses are empty.

Li Xuan understood that the people of the Arab Empire were relocated.

Li Xuan knew exactly where the Arabs would go.

In the eleventh year of Qianyuan, late October.

The Tang army reached the Tigris River.

Officially entered the Mesopotamian region, which once belonged to ancient Babylon.

At the same time, Ma Lin brought the news that the Arab army in the Persian Gulf and Basra had been annihilated to Li Xuan.

Ma Lin and Li Guangbi cooperated and fought a fierce battle, capturing more than 40,000 Arab soldiers.

They also raided and captured Basra, the largest city on the Persian Gulf coast.

Now the only remaining part of the Arab Empire is Syria, a lone army defending the Roman Empire...

There was no garrison at the ferry crossing on the other side of the Tigris River, so the Tang army gathered boats, crossed the Tigris River, and approached Baghdad.

Baghdad, which Abu Jalfar Abbas had worked so hard to build, was now deserted.

When the Arabs evacuated, they also took away a large amount of Baghdad's wealth.

This also heralded the demise of the Arab Empire...

(End of this chapter)