Chapter 246 The Imperial Princess

A young Taoist priest stood outside the Tang army's camp, about twenty-seven or eight years old. He had a wide forehead and bright eyes. He was wearing a white Taoist robe, a Taoist crown on his head, and a whisk in his hand, with a very calm expression.

Several Tang soldiers guarding the camp gate looked at him in surprise. If it were the Central Plains, there would be such Taoist priests all over the streets, but this was Dongcao Kingdom thousands of miles away from Chang'an, and even the Han people could not see one, let alone Taoist priests.

At this time, the Tang army's military camp began to send orders and were about to withdraw the camp and return. The camp was busy. Li Qing'an walked out under the escort of more than a dozen personal soldiers. The young Taoist priest seemed to know Li Qing'an. He waved his whisk and immediately stepped forward to salute: "Wuliang Tianzun, Li Mi has seen General Li in the small path."

‘Li Mi?’

Li Qingan was a little stunned. Which Li Mi? He looked up and down at the Taoist priest, and felt that there was a familiarity between his eyebrows and eyes, so he asked, "Have you ever been a court official?"

"I have worked in the East Palace and met General Li in the East Palace."

"So it's you?"

Li Qingan suddenly remembered that he had indeed seen this person in the East Palace. He was the Hanlin worshipper of the East Palace by Prince Li Heng. Li Qingan's attitude immediately became enthusiastic and laughed: "It turns out that he is an old friend. You can meet an old friend in a foreign land. This is one of the four joys in life. Please ask the account to talk to him."

Li Qingan enthusiastically invited Li Mi to the big tent and sat down. He ordered his personal soldiers to pour two cups of tea. Then he smiled and said, "Sir, I am not good at the East Palace official, why did you become a monk for the sake of your Taoism?"

Li Mi took a sip of hot tea and sighed: "Yang Guozhong does not tolerate me. He slandered the emperor several times, saying that I misled the former prince and the emperor gave up my position of offering sacrifices. I became a monk and traveled all over the world. Today I came to the General's Office."

Li Mi and Li Qing'an also know one thing. In history, he was known as the common prime minister. After four generations of emperors in the middle Tang Dynasty, he became monks several times and entered the court several times. He once saved the Tang Dynasty from danger. When he advanced, he devoured the world and retreated like idle clouds and wild cranes. Just such a master of the world actually traveled to him. You know, Tang Monk had not been so far away from the pursuit of scriptures. If he did not practice at the foot of Zhongnan Mountain, would he travel to him?

Li Qingan didn't point him out, and smiled and said, "What do you think of the Western Regions?"

"The exotic style is just a bit more violent, which makes it difficult to read carefully."

Li Mi sighed softly, then smiled at Li Qing'an and said, "Just just entered the military camp and saw that the soldiers were packing their luggage, but were they going to return to Shiguo?"

"Did you hear any news?"

"When I crossed the river in the Gu Zhanti, I heard that the Great Food Army had occupied the city of Talas, and the Tang army was in crisis, so the general had to withdraw, but that's how?"

Li Mi said something a little straightforward, to be precise, a little mean. Li Qing'an's face sank at that time and said lightly: "Sir, do you have any insight?"

Li Qingan said advice, but he had no intention of asking for advice. Although Li Mi's interests in history are true, it must be because of understanding and familiarity with the situation to have a say. When he first arrived in the Western Regions, he might not have even seen the shadow of the Great Food Army. What qualifications are there to point fingers at the battle of the Western Regions? He slowly drank tea, wanting to hear what Li Mi's "high opinions". If he really talked about the situation in the Western Regions, needless to say, he would take a tea cup and send off the guests!

Li Mi seemed not to see Li Qing'an's face. He shook the dust and said calmly: "I just now had no idea about the situation in the Western Regions. I said that the general was going to withdraw his troops. I also learned from the Sakura who crossed me, but......"

Li Mi's self-righteousness made Li Qingan feel a little favorable to him, so he nodded and smiled: "But what, sir, please continue."

"However, Dashi sneak attacks on Talas City with open guns, but the general needs to be more careful about the hidden arrows of the court. Open guns are easy to avoid, but hidden arrows are difficult to defend against!"

Li Qing'an's eyes couldn't help but narrowed and said, "What kind of hidden arrows, can you explain it clearly?"

"I want to ask the general, how many troops do the general have in total now?"

"This..." Li Qingan thought for a while and said, "It's about 100,000 troops!"

"Have the general ever thought about the 100,000 troops among the major military governors of our Tang Dynasty, which military governor can surpass Anxi? However, military strength is not the most important issue."

"Sir, please continue, what is the most important thing?"

Li Mi looked at Li Qing'an's eyes and said word by word: "The important thing is that the general no longer needs supplies to the court. The army of 100,000 people can actually achieve self-sufficiency in food. Have the general thought about it? What would the emperor think?"

"What ideas can the emperor have to reduce the burden on the court? Why not do it?" Li Qingan said with a smile.

It is true that Li Mi is a celebrity in history, but how much has history changed by Li Qing'an's intrusion? Prince Li Heng has never been abolished in history, but now he is abolished. What about Li Mi? He is no longer a Hanlin worshipper in the East Palace. According to him, he was exempted by Yang Guozhong's slander. But Li Qing'an didn't know what the truth was. If Li Mi had defected to Yang Guozhong, would he be here to make him whisper? Will he treat him sincerely because Li Mi is a historical celebrity?

Li Mi suddenly realized something. He didn't say anything for a long time, and finally smiled bitterly: "All the road is storm and rain, from summer to autumn, will the general give me a 'why not to do it'?"

"Is that sir really here to travel?"

The tent fell silent. After a moment, Li Mi sighed, took out a letter from his body, and placed it in front of Li Qing'an and said, "This is a letter of recommendation written by the former prince to me. I recommend me to serve the general."

Li Qing'an took the letter, opened it and looked at it. It was indeed Li Heng's handwriting. It was written two months ago. The meaning of the letter was very simple. Yang Guozhong began to clean up middle and lower-level officials in the East Palace. Li Mi is a rare talent. I hope Li Qing'an can use him well. After reading the letter, Li Qing'an glanced at Li Mi and suddenly laughed and said, "Sir, just take it out early? You have to go around such a big bend. I really think that Mr. is here to travel around and have the ambition to promote the Taoism of the Tang Dynasty in the Hezhong area!"

He reached out to pick up Li Mi's luggage, turned around and ordered his personal soldiers, "Go and prepare a tent for the sir, and wait for bathing and cleaning."

Li Mi was stunned, "Didn't the Tang army want to withdraw from Shiguo?"

Li Qingan waved his hand and smiled, "It's true that he withdrew from Shiguo, but not everyone left at the same time, but went in batches. Just go to rest and set off with me tomorrow."

Due to the Tang army's defeat in Talas, the Tang army began to withdraw its troops to the Shi Kingdom in a late autumn rain and fog. At the same time, Abu of Samarkand.

Muslims also began to increase their troops to Talas. The first batch of reinforcements, 15,000 Khorasan soldiers headed north along the west bank of the Sir River. The second batch of about 40,000 Sogdian soldiers began to gather and would march towards Talas in a few days. Nearly 10,000 camels were loaded with military supplies from the Great Food Army and drove towards Talas.

As the Great Food Army assembled in Talas, the Tang army also began to assemble in Tuozhi City. Except for 10,000 Tang troops stayed in the area of ​​Bosishan Yincheng, the other Tang troops returned to Tuozhi City. In addition, Li Qing'an ordered the elite troops of the 15,000 Tianwei Army who were left in Beiting to march into Saiye. At the same time, the 15,000 Tang troops who were left in Saiye also rushed to Shiguo under Duan Xiushi.

At this point, including the 20,000 troops of the Shi Kingdom, the Tang army had gathered 70,000 people in Tuozhi City. In addition, the Shi Kingdom and Ningyuan Kingdom also began to mobilize comprehensively. They almost used all their food and materials to support the Tang army, and a large number of craftsmen and manpower were requisitioned.

History is surprisingly similar here. In the Battle of Talas in history, the Tang army also had 70,000 people. The difference is that the Tang army did not travel 700 miles and set out from Shuye, but went directly north from Tuozhi City, Shiguo.

The mobilization of troops from both sides was constantly underway. This was a war that was inevitable. Its victory and defeat were directly related to the vital interests of the Tang Dynasty and the Abbasid Dynasty in the Hezhong region. In early October, a 50,000 Tang army arrived on the grassland thirty miles south of Talas City, and set up camp there.

A strange song floated in the Damascus palace: "The Golden Ivory Palace lives with a heroic king, with thousands of miles of territory and thousands of slaves. The most beautiful women come from all over the world, bow to the feet of the great caliph, and willingly sacrifice their chastity.

．

．

．

．

．

．

’

Amid the strange singing, Princess Julan was led by more than a dozen guards and slowly walked into this magnificent palace.

On the throne carved by gold and ivory, Abbas squinted his eyes and looked at the eyes of light in front of him. This strange ruby ​​flashed with a flame-like light under the bright light. The flames burned more and more vigorously, as if there was a black world among the gems.

This is the Eye of Light, one of the four sacred objects of Persian Zoroastrianism. Abbas only glanced a few times, his curiosity was satisfied, and his interest gradually faded. On the contrary, standing in His Highness, this beautiful woman in white became interested. He heard that she was one of the twelve saints of the Temple of Samarkand, and he heard that she was also the princess of Tashkent.

"What's your name?" Abbas asked gently.

Ju Lan's face was cold and she didn't say a word. Mansour next to her glared at her angrily and said quickly: "Your Majesty the Caliph, her name is Yilai. Ju Lan, who is the daughter of King Zheng of Shiguo, and she is twenty years old this year."

“Julan!

Abbas walked down from the golden throne, looked around Ju Lan carefully, nodded and smiled, "The name is beautiful, and the person is very beautiful."

He suddenly raised his voice and said, "I am the Caliph of the Abbasid Empire, and according to the principle of regional balance, I will marry a noble daughter as a concubine in Egypt, Westlad, Persia, Armenia, Sindh and Sogdian. Now I have concubines from all over the country, but there is only one Sogdian noble girl. In my opinion, you are the most beautiful gem of Sogdian, and you are this Sogdian concubine."

The strange singing sounded again: "There are thousands of women in the caliph, all of whom are beautiful and charming. Who has the chance to win his favor? Listen! His affectionate voice is ringing, and happiness is about to come to you.

．

．

．

．

．

’

"You dream!"

Ju Lan's voice was firm and decisive, interrupting the strange singing: "Even if I die, I will never marry you."

“Bold!”

Mansour angrily scolded her, "How noble is His Majesty the Caliph? Are you a woman from a small country and a foreign race, and you are also worthy of His Majesty the Caliph? This is not only your glory, but also your Sogdians. Be grateful!"

Abbas waved his hand and stopped Mansour's roar. He looked at Julan and smiled faintly, "Don't think I'm interested in you. The world is so big, there is no woman I can like. This is because I am the lord of the river. I must marry a Sogdian woman to maintain the balance of the territory of the empire. Think about it carefully! I believe you will accept this glory. In addition, I will never marry a pagan. Before I marry you, you must convert to Islam."

Ju Lan sneered and said, "You are a delusional, I am the Saint of Light, how could I betray the Lord God Ahuramaz and believe in your religion."

"This is not yours."

Abbas waved his hand gently and said, "Take her into the inner palace and take good care of her!"

A few palace maids came up to take Julan down, and Abbas called her again and smiled and said, "From now on, I will execute 100 Sogdians every day. If you don't agree for ten days, I will execute 1,000 people. If you don't agree for a year, I will execute 36,000 people until you agree."

‘The caliph’s anger makes the earth tremble, and the sky cry, listen! The cry of sorrow is praying to you, repent! The ignorant woman, darkness is coming.’

Amid the intermittent and strange singing, Ju Lan walked towards the depths of the palace without looking back.

The dark clouds were drooping and the north wind was howling. On a vast plain, the rumbling drums were ringing. The 10,000 Syrian infantry corps were slowly approaching the Tang army's positions. The dense shields strictly covered the soldiers' bodies. At this time, the Tang army's bows and arrows were no longer effective. Not far behind the infantry were 20,000 Syrian cavalry. They were Damascus scimitar, spears, and rode majestic Arab horses, closely following the infantry corps.

This is the first attack of the Syrian army on the Tang army, three miles away, Abu.

Muslims led tens of thousands of troops to reorganize the army. Opposite them, 50,000 Tang troops were already in line, and infantry, cavalry, crossbowmen, and shamans were arranged in sequence.

Li Qing'an's eyes were coldly watching the approaching of the Syrian infantry army, only three hundred steps apart. He waved his sword and said, "The First Cavalry Guard will fight!"

As if the iceberg cracked, ten thousand cavalry on the left wing rushed towards the Syrian infantry under the leadership of general Li Fei Yuanli.

The horse's hooves were like thunder, the sword was waving, and the spear tip was shining with cold light in the air, sweeping away like a storm, and rushed into the infantry battalion in an instant. The Tang army cavalry was like violent beasts, rushing around the infantry battalion. The sword slashed by, and blood speared like arrows. Nan Jiyun's spear danced, like pear blossoms flying, killing a bloody path, and hiding corpses beside him.

Just as the Tang cavalry rushed into the infantry battalion, the second and third cavalry guards of the Tang army and the Syrian army launched the two legions to deal with the cavalry. The Tang cavalry used crossbows. For a moment, the arrows were like rain, and they shot overwhelmed the cavalry, causing the big-footed cavalry to fall over.

But the Syrian army's horses were very fast, and several charges entered the Tang cavalry team. The cavalry of the two armies fought bloody battles on the vast plains.

At this time, Abu.

Seeing that the Tang army's bows and arrows were no longer able to exert their power, the Muslim sneered and ordered: "The Macedonian phalanx will fight!"

A low trumpet sounded in the field, and the Macedonian Legion in the Dashi Army went to fight. This was a standard Macedonian heavy infantry, composed of 8,192 people, a platoon of 64 armored soldiers, a company of 128 people, a battalion of 256 people, a regiment of 1,024 people, a regiment of 4,096 people, and a division of 1,096 people formed a division, and a division formed a square formation. However, the Macedonian phalanx of the Dashi Army was composed of two heavy infantry, without light shield army and cavalry, but three separate cavalry guarded the flanks and rear.

The two square formations were like two huge carpets, rising and falling on the plains. Each heavy infantry held a round shield in one hand and a four-meter-long spear in the other. This was an infantry brigade trained by General Qiyad in Khorasan for more than half a year. It was originally intended to deal with the Egyptian cavalry of the Umayyad Dynasty, but unexpectedly, the final opponent was the Tang army.

The Macedonian phalanx ran forward in a strong and dense formation, like a siege hammer violently attacking the Tang army's position.

"Mo Daojun!"

At the command of the commander Li Qing'an, the war drums of the Tang army resounded like thunder, and the five thousand Modao soldiers went to fight. This was the heavy infantry of the Tang army in Anxi and Beiting. The Modao general Li Siye swept his sword and shouted sternly: "My sons, let the great cannibals see the power of the heavy infantry in the Tang army!"

Five thousand Tang army's Mo Jian soldiers were arranged like walls, step by step, and their steps were as steady as Mount Tai. They were murderous intent and rushed towards the Macedonian square formation. Two heavy infantry collided in an instant, like two storm waves collided in the storm. Mo Jian slashed into a bloody road, spears broke through the iron wall, and the extremely strong Mo Jian sturdy iron wall advanced layer by layer. Mo Jian waving, and the sharp blade slashed the defense of the Macedonian square formation, with people flying across the ground, and their limbs were everywhere.

The spears were cut off under the sharp blade, but the strong impact force of the phalanx continued to overturn the Modao soldiers. One group of soldiers fell down, and another group of soldiers immediately added up. The two heavy armored infantry were wrapped together, killing them hard to separate. The Tang army cavalry also discovered the weakness of the Macedonian phalanx and attacked from both sides, but the Dashi cavalry guarded the two wings tightly. After several attacks in a row, the Tang army was unable to break through the dense defensive cavalry.

Looking from a high altitude, on the long front, the Tang army and the Dashi Army fought together, the bloody battles of the cavalry, the wanton attacks of the Tang army's cavalry in the infantry formation, and the fierce battle of heavy infantry. Although the number of the Dashi Army exceeded that of the Tang army, the Tang army with its excellent equipment was difficult to separate from the Dashi Army and occupied a little above.
Chapter completed!