I traveled with them to the Northern Song Dynasty

...

They're all shrewd old foxes; who wouldn't understand that Zhao Yu didn't want to give Zhao Ji too many weapons, allowing him to become the sole ruler?
The problem is, we can't say it directly.

After all, Zhao Yu and Zhao Ji were brothers, and Zhao Ji was now fighting for the Song Dynasty no matter what.

He Li, who reacted quickly, stepped forward and bowed:

"Your Majesty, the Battle of Talas was the first battle of our Great Song's western expedition, and it was of great importance. Moreover, two hundred years ago, the Great Tang was defeated by the West at the height of its power. Only four years after this battle, the An Lushan Rebellion broke out, the Tang Dynasty declined, and the Abbasid Caliphate entered its golden age, becoming one of the most powerful empires in the world at that time."

Today, the East and the West are fighting again at Talas. This is no longer an ordinary border dispute, but a pivotal event concerning the destiny of the world and the rise and fall of civilizations!
Your Majesty, consider this: during the height of the Tang Dynasty, the imperial guards were deployed in all directions, and their prestige spread far and wide to the Pamir Mountains. Yet, due to a single defeat, the entire Western Regions campaign was abandoned. With the people's hearts wavering, internal and external troubles followed one after another.

The mistakes of the past serve as a warning for the future. If our Great Song Dynasty can win a decisive victory in this place where the Great Tang Dynasty retreated, it will not only restore the old territory of the Great Tang Dynasty, but also deter the barbarians in all directions and make the Central Plains shine in the world again.

However, the slightest misstep could result in casualties, or even devastate the very foundation of the nation, plunging a century-old legacy into crisis.

After He Li started, everyone else realized what was going on.

Then Li Bangyan stepped forward and said:
"Over the course of two hundred years, the power of the West has grown stronger day by day. Although the Abbasid Caliphate is no longer as powerful as it once was, its foundation in the West remains unshaken. Many tribes and small states, such as the Turks, the Great Zhongyun, the Little Zhongyun, the Yangmo, the Karluks, and the Gedo, have also attached themselves to it."

This expedition by our Great Song Dynasty, seemingly a nationwide effort to conquer a small corner of the land, is in reality a lone army confronting the entire Western alliance.

If we are defeated in this battle, the West will surely unite as one to resist our Great Song Dynasty.

If we win, they will be torn apart.

At that time, our Great Song Dynasty can win over those who are wavering and defeat the hardliners one by one.

How then could the Western Karakhanid Khanate have survived?

The Western Karakhanid Khanate was extremely unstable from its inception.

First of all, its composition and structure have major problems.

The Western Karakhanid Khanate was a rare example of a dual-kingdom system combined with feudalism and ethnic diversity.

The state was ruled by a Khan and a Deputy Khan, with subordinate Khans and Begs, etc., and was centered on tribal military nobles, while incorporating a Persian-Islamic bureaucratic system.

The country was ruled by the Uyghur-Khallugh, and integrated Turkic-speaking tribes such as the Yangmo, Chuyue, and Gus. Within its territory were a large number of settled ethnic groups such as the Tajiks and Sogdians, and nomadic and agricultural civilizations coexisted.

This led to sharp conflicts between nomadic Turkic-speaking tribes and settled Persian-Tajik groups regarding production methods, customs, and taxation.

The ruling class of the Western Karakhanid Khanate forcibly Islamized the country, which sparked resistance from non-Muslim groups and the old nobility.

Furthermore, there have been frequent power struggles within the Alibaba group, with local rulers holding considerable military power and opposing the central government.

Externally, the Seljuk Empire controlled or influenced the Western Karakhanid Khanate, supporting proxies, instigating internal conflicts, further weakening its cohesion, and accelerating its division and decline.

Furthermore, the feudal system led to excessive local power and weak central authority, allowing tribal leaders and religious forces to grow powerful, which severely diluted the Khanate's authority and made it difficult to integrate diverse forces.

In this situation, as long as the Song Dynasty wins a few major battles, those small countries, tribes, and forces that were unwilling to fight with the Song Dynasty but only wanted to do business with it and were forced to submit to the Western Karakhanid Khanate may turn against it and dismantle the Western Karakhanid Khanate.

To put it simply, the Western Karakhanid Khanate was actually an alliance of numerous ethnic groups, small states, tribes, and minor powers. They had not achieved a complete integration of civilizations. Such an alliance could unite when things were going well, but if they suffered a defeat, they would definitely harbor their own ambitions. Some might even actively join the Song Dynasty and follow the Song army to counterattack the Western Karakhanid Khanate, hoping to get a share of the spoils during the power transition.

For the Song Dynasty, this was undoubtedly a great thing.

After all, Central Asia is a vast region with complex and varied terrain, and its ethnic groups and religions are inextricably intertwined. Without local guides familiar with these areas, it would not be an easy task for the Song Dynasty to conquer this region.

Therefore, the Battle of Talas was of paramount importance and could not be lost.

Under these circumstances, it's quite normal for Zhao Yu not to place all his bets on Zhao Ji.

The ministers of the Song Dynasty seized on this point to persuade Zhao Yu, giving him a way out so that he would not have to consider his elder brother Zhao Ji's request for war.

With this stepping stone, Zhao Yu stopped wasting words and appointed Yue Fei, the most skilled warrior of the Song Dynasty, as commander-in-chief. He granted Yue Fei the authority to execute first and report later, and ordered everyone from princes to soldiers to obey his command. He was tasked with winning the Battle of Talas and avenging the Chinese people's humiliation.

After receiving the order, Yue Fei led the central army and a group of private troops led by Zhao Yu, who wanted to become the son of a prince, to the front line by train.

Upon arriving at the front lines, Yue Fei unceremoniously took over battlefield command from Emperor Huizong.

During this process, Zhao Ji was very dissatisfied, believing that Zhao Yu's chaotic command ruined the favorable situation he had created, that he did not trust him, did not give him the opportunity to demonstrate his military talents, and even disregarded their brotherhood.

Although Zhao Ji was a prince, his seniority in the army was far too low, even less than most of Zhao Yu's sons. Yue Fei, on the other hand, despite his young age (not yet thirty), had been a general who had fought for the Song Dynasty in the north and south for over a decade. Crucially, he had been invincible since his debut, making him one of the Song Dynasty's military geniuses. Furthermore, Zhao Ji was currently only the vanguard in this battle, and even that was only because Zhao Yu had made an exception for him as his elder brother. Yue Fei, however, was one of the three marshals of the Song Dynasty's expeditionary force, second only to Zhao Yu in rank. More importantly, Yue Fei was here to reinforce the front lines and ensure the crucial Battle of Talas was won without incident. Zhao Ji had no reason to object to Yue Fei taking over the front lines.

Therefore, after arriving at the front line, Yue Fei immediately took over everything and redeployed the troops to prepare for a war with the Western Karakhanid Khanate.

Seven years ago, Tong Guan had already led his army to recover the Western Regions.

After that, the Song Dynasty effectively governed the Western Regions.

Most importantly, the Song Dynasty built railways and highways in the Western Regions, extending all the way to the border.

This made it far more convenient and faster for the Song Dynasty to transport grain, supplies, weapons, and reinforcements than for the backward Western Karakhanid Khanate.

Under these circumstances, if the Western Karakhanid Khanate were to engage in a war of attrition with the Song Dynasty, the Western Karakhanid Khanate, already plagued by numerous internal problems, would certainly be dragged down by the Song Dynasty.

It was precisely for this reason that the Western Karakhanid Khanate also wanted to defeat the Song Dynasty in a decisive battle and end this costly war as soon as possible.

If both sides want a decisive battle, then things become easier.

Soon, the Song Dynasty had amassed an army of over 200,000 men. The Western Karakhanid Khanate was preparing to mobilize a million troops and was even seeking help from the entire Central Asia, clearly intending to turn this battle into a decisive one.

However, Central Asia is divided, with various factions fighting each other and even forming sworn enemies. Coupled with religious issues, it is not so easy to assemble a million-strong army.
As a result, the Song Dynasty had already assembled its forces for the battle, while the Western Karakhanid Khanate had only assembled a little over 200,000 troops.

Yue Fei was not a pedantic person, nor would he give the enemy the opportunity to slowly amass troops.

Yue Fei, who was granted the authority to make decisions on the battlefield by Zhao Yu, once his side was almost ready, immediately gave the order: "Start the war!"
Upon seeing this, Mehmed II was greatly alarmed and hastily mobilized his troops to fight.

The Talas River valley has steep cliffs on both sides, and the valley floor is flat but full of gravel. It was the place where Tang general Gao Xianzhi fought against the Abbasid allied forces.

Two hundred years later, two armies of 200,000 men from Song and Kazakh faced off across the valley, with sandstorms raging and banners fluttering in the wind.

After some arguments, the Western Karakhanid Khanate deployed the Karluk and Yangmo cavalry as its vanguard, with 10,000 cavalrymen arranged in a wedge formation. Their iron hooves pounded the ground, raising dust that blotted out the sun. The central army consisted of Persian-Tajik infantry in a heavy shield formation, supplemented by armored cavalry sent by the Seljuks. On both flanks were numerous light cavalrymen from affiliated tribes. This was the most classic nomadic and settled warfare tactic in Central Asia.

—They were like a forest of swords and spears, with quivers full of arrows, intending to replicate the defeat of the Tang army in the past.

The Song army formation was completely different. Yue Fei personally ascended the high ground on the north side of the valley and used command flags to direct the three armies. Zhao Yu's sons, who aspired to be princes, each led their private armies as vanguards, and they occupied the passes on the east, west, and central sides.

The central army was arranged in three rows of musketeers, with a hundred Li Lin cannons set up in the rear, all aimed at the wedge-shaped vanguard of the Western Karakhan army; the two flanks were formed by archers and Li Lin musketeers in a horizontal formation, interspersed with longsword soldiers to protect the flanks; Prince Zhao Jin, Prince Zhao Ji, Prince Zhao Gan and others led 6,000 private cavalrymen to lie in ambush in the sand valley on the east side, while Prince Zhao Yu, Prince Zhao Ya, Prince Zhao Hong and others led 10,000 infantry and cavalry to hide behind the cliff on the west side, all under the secret orders of Yue Fei, to wait for the cannon fire to strike the enemy's flanks.

Yue Fei knew that Gao Xianzhi had been defeated by the Geluolu's defection and encirclement by the allied forces. Therefore, in this battle, he first secured the strategic location, used firearms to break the enemy's advance, and then divided his troops to attack the flanks. There was no risk of encirclement. He also ordered all troops to use the drumbeats as a signal, advance and retreat in unison, and not to move without authorization.

Steppe cavalry have always valued the principle of striking first.

In addition, the Western Karakhanid Khanate was unprepared and wanted to make a show of force to win over these miscellaneous troops.

Therefore, the Western Karakhanid Khanate chose to take the initiative in attacking, while the Song army, with its larger infantry, was better at defensive counter-attacks. Seeing that the Western Karakhanid army wanted to attack, they naturally chose to defend.

As the war drums sounded, Muhammad II, the Khan of the Western Karakhanid Khanate, gave the order, and the vanguard Karluk cavalry, numbering ten thousand, charged forward, their iron hooves shattering the sand and gravel, heading straight for the central route of the Song Dynasty. They intended to use their cavalry to break through the infantry formation, just as the Abbasid army had defeated the Tang army in the past.

Yue Fei only ordered the cannons to fire when the cavalry of the Western Karakhanid Khanate had charged to within 150 paces.

With a loud "boom," a hundred Li Lin cannons fired simultaneously!
In an instant, cannonballs struck the cavalry like thunderbolts, sending men and horses flying in carnage. Several gaps appeared in the West Karakhanid Khanate's wedge formation.

Before the vanguard of the Western Karakhanid army could recover, three ranks of musketeers fired in unison, smoke and fire filling the valley, and lead bullets rained down. The Western Karakhanid cavalrymen at the forefront fell from their horses one after another, and the cavalrymen behind them could not stop in time, trampling each other, and cries of agony filled the sand.

Seeing that his vanguard had suffered a setback, Mehmed II hurriedly ordered light cavalry on both flanks to flank the Song army's square formation, intending to bypass the central artillery and attack the flanks of the Song army's square formation. He also ordered the heavy shield square formation in the center to advance, using the shield wall to block the artillery fire, and then close in with swords and spears.

However, just as their light cavalry on both flanks moved, drums suddenly sounded from behind the cliff on the west side. Prince Zhao Yu and others led their private army out, with archers and musketeers led by Li Lin. Arrows flew like meteors and lead bullets rained down. The light cavalry of the Western Karakhanid Khan had no shields or armor for protection, and they were hit by arrows and bullets and fell from their horses. Prince Zhao Yu and others took the lead, carrying swords and spears and charging into the enemy formation. Their private army was all fierce and brave, slashing and thrusting with swords and spears, and they drove the light cavalry on the western flank of the Western Karakhanid Khan's army back three miles.

In the eastern sand valley, Prince Zhao Jin and other princes led their cavalry out from the side, circling around to the rear of the Kazakh army's eastern wing light cavalry, cutting off their retreat. The archers and Li Lin's musketeers lined up at the valley entrance, attacking from both sides. The eastern wing light cavalry collapsed instantly. Many tribal light cavalry witnessed the power of the Song Dynasty's archers and firearms and surrendered to the Song on the spot, just like the Karluks had defected years before.

This time, however, they have sided with the Song Dynasty.

Although the heavy shield formation of the Western Karakhanid army in the central route advanced to fifty paces, the shield wall was riddled with holes by Li Lin's cannon fire, and musket fire rained down on the gaps in the shields, killing the infantrymen in the formation.

Seeing that the Western Karakhanid army was in disarray, Yue Fei waved his command flag again, splitting the central army formation on both sides. Each of the princes led their private infantry and cavalry as the vanguard, charging straight at the Western Karakhanid army's heavy shield formation. The Song infantry followed closely behind, with archers and musketeers firing incessantly. The shield formation gradually broke down, and the Persian-Tajik infantry had no defenses and were divided and surrounded by the Song army.

Mehmed II urgently ordered the armored cavalry in the rear to rush to the rescue.

Upon seeing this, Yue Fei ordered his sons Zhao Jin, Zhao Tan, and Zhao Dao to go into battle.

This Song army unit was all dressed in heavy armor and equipped with muskets and sabers, capable of both long-range shooting and close-range combat.

Although the armored cavalry of the Western Karakhanid Khanate were well-armored and well-equipped, they could not withstand the penetration of firearms.

Crucially, even if some escaped and rushed over, the heavily armored infantry of the Song Dynasty were not afraid to fight. They all crouched down and risked their lives to cut off the horses' legs, refusing to let a single heavily armored cavalryman go to reinforce them.

The battle lasted from Chenshi (7-9 AM) to Shenshi (3-5 PM). As the sandstorm subsided, the flags of the Western Karakhanid Khanate fell to the sand in the valley, and swords, spears, bows, and arrows were scattered all over the ground. Seven or eight out of ten of the 200,000-strong army were lost.

Mehmed II led his remaining forces in a rout toward Samarkand, but they were ambushed and killed along the way by tribes that had surrendered to the Song dynasty. Only a few thousand cavalrymen managed to escape.

Although the Song army also suffered losses, the number was less than ten thousand. Zhao Yu's sons, who aspired to be princes, were mostly brave and skilled in battle, if not all of them led from the front.

Some of them were even wounded. Zhao Dao was hit in the lungs and internal organs while defending against the armored cavalry of the Western Karakhanid Khan and lost consciousness.

Yet none of them retreated, and each of them killed several enemy generals, truly proving the saying—like father, like son.

Zhao Ji did not participate in this battle, but instead led his troops to serve as a reserve force alongside the elite troops personally commanded by Yue Fei.

As for the reason? Naturally, it's because Zhao Ji had worked hard in the previous battles, and now that reinforcements have arrived, his troops should rest and regroup before fighting again.

Emperor Huizong saw the heroic performance of Zhao Yu's sons through a telescope and was secretly alarmed!
The victories during this period led Zhao Ji to mistakenly believe that he was a hidden war god. If he had inherited Zhao Xu's throne back then, everything Zhao Yu has now might be his.

Seeing the performance of Zhao Yu's sons and the heroic bearing of the other Song armies, Zhao Ji realized that other armies were in no way inferior to his own. In addition, the fearless performance of Zhao Yu's sons, who were known as generals with courage, made their fighting power seem even stronger than his own army.

When Zhao Ji looked at the group of Zhao Yu's sons who wanted to become feudal lords and had no chance to go to the battlefield behind Yue Fei, he couldn't help but smile bitterly!

At this moment, Zhao Ji realized that his rival was no longer Zhao Yu, but Zhao Yu's thousands of sons.

The key point is that among Zhao Yu's thousands of sons, there were indeed a large number of extraordinary ones, and he seemed to be no match for them.

After Yue Fei withdrew his troops, he ordered the Western Region tribes who had surrendered to the Song Dynasty to act as guides, and led a large army in pursuit. Along the way, small kingdoms, tribes, and forces in the Western Regions, seeing the Song Dynasty's great victory and unparalleled firearms, all sent envoys to surrender. Within ten days, half of the Transoxiana region of the Western Karakhanid Khanate had submitted to the Song Dynasty...

...(End of this chapter)