Chapter 404: The Fatal National Situation

After nearly a hundred years of expansion, the Arab forces have occupied the vast territory west of the Amu River and south of the Aral Sea. In the Umayyad dynasty, they once crossed the Amu River, pointed to the east, and occupied the entire Sogdian region. However, the Battle of Talas broke out three years ago. The emerging Abbasid dynasty was defeated by the Tang army and forced to retreat to the west of the Amu River. Although the Abbasid dynasty was defeated, it never recognized the sphere of influence of the two countries and defined it from then on. They never wanted to give up the rich Amu River basin. They were ready to prepare for war, and prepared to return to the river again. He even wanted to march eastward and fight until the Pamir Mountains to restore the sphere of influence before the Battle of Talas.

However, the civil strife of the Abbasid Dynasty forced them to temporarily put down their ambition to take back the East and concentrate on solving internal problems. As Mansour's caliphate gradually stabilized, the civil strife of the Abbasid Dynasty was also calmed down. At this time, the Arabs' eastern strata of influence suffered another major setback, and their large granary of Sindhi and Punjab were occupied by the Tang army.

The severe situation forced Mansour to finally make a decision that they had to fight back against the growing threat of the Tang army. If they continued to be weak, the Tang army's forces would likely cross the west of the Amu River and his empire would be in danger of collapse.

In order to fight against the Tang Dynasty with all his might, Mansur's envoy Khalid reached a memorandum of understanding with the Romans. The Abbasid Dynasty recognized that Cyprus belonged to Byzantium and the two countries withdrew troops on the border. With the conclusion of the armistice agreement, Byzantine withdrew north and concentrated on dealing with the constantly provocative Bulgarians. Mansur ordered a 100,000 army withdrawn from the border to expedition the eastward expedition, and appointed Iraqi Governor Haman as the expedition army Emir, leading a 100,000 army to march towards Khwarezm, and ordered Chiyad of Khorasan to lead 40,000 troops to advance to the Amu River in order to attract the main force of the Tang army in the middle of the Amu River.

Mulu, in the Governor General of Khurashan, Qiyad listened to Shahim's report with a serious expression. Shahim finally escaped from Mulu after hardships. He and the five hundred men who escaped from Sebo were intercepted by the Tang army while crossing the river. Most of the five hundred people were killed or injured, and in the end, less than one hundred people followed Shahim and escaped the Amu River.

"Can you be sure that the city-breaking weapon used by the Tang army was the fire thunder in the Battle of Talas?"

Shahim put his hand on his chest and said with lingering fear: "I can be sure that the fire thunder they used this time is even more powerful, and it directly blew down the wall of the color wave. My God, I was like a nightmare at that time."

Qi Yade's face turned pale. He walked to the map and stared blankly at the river. It seemed that the most terrifying scene in the Battle of Talas appeared in his mind. The Tang army ignited the Geluo chariot who came to surrender. It exploded violently in the army with dense food. Tens of thousands of people were killed. The scene like hell made him still unforgettable. If the Tang army has such a terrible weapon, would his army still have a chance of victory? Moreover, the Caliph used the Kharasan army as bait, which means that the Kharasan army would face the main force of the Tang army.

This time when he attacked Hezhong, he thought that the Caliph would appoint him as the commander of the Eastern Expedition Army, but he did not expect that he appointed Khalid's younger brother Haman as the Eastern Expedition Army Emil, with a 100,000 army heading to Khwarezm and himself to attract the main force of the Tang army. He suspected that the Caliph had other intentions.

For some reason, Chiade remembered Abu again.

Muslim, if he loses this time, will Mansur be like killing Abu again?

Like Muslims, did he kill him?

Chiyad knew that Khorasan's army had always been a heart-wrenching problem for Mansour.

Thinking of this, Chiaed sighed and said to Shahim tiredly: "You retreat! I understand."

"But....."

Shahim hesitated and said, "What reward should I get when I attack that sephora this time?"

‘Reward?’ Qiyad glanced at him coldly. It would be fine if he didn’t say reward. When it comes to reward, he remembered that his three thousand most elite troops were wiped out. He was already very lenient to not hold him accountable. Shahim actually dared to ask for reward.

Shahim was the first personal captain of Mansur. He was transferred to the Syrian army three years ago as deputy commander of the army, but encountered the Battle of Talas. After defeat, he fled back to Syria and was removed from his post by Abbas. He was idle at home for two years. As Mansur ascended the throne, he returned to Khorasan to serve. Although his qualifications were not high, because of Mansur, Chiyad took special care of him and appointed him as a general. He claimed to the public that Shahim was his beloved general. But in fact, he was extremely vigilant about this person and guarded against him everywhere. This time, Chiyad wanted to use the Tang army's hands to get rid of this person, but he did not expect that he would escape again, which made Chiyad angry. He said with a gloomy face: "Your reward is that I will not kill you, and I will not hold you accountable for the entire army to be wiped out. Go!"

"What!" Shahim was furious. He went through hardships and died for a lifetime. He was rewarded but did not kill himself. He could no longer hold back and slammed the table and said angrily: "Three thousand people went deep into the hinterland of the enemy. There was no support or retreat. They were strangled by tens of thousands of Tang soldiers. How could we not destroy the entire army? Although I could not last ten days, I persisted for six days and killed thousands of Tang soldiers. Is there no contribution? General Qiyad, you have told me in person that His Majesty the Caliph made a promise that as long as I persist for ten days, I would be appointed as the governor of Libya. Although I did not persist for ten days in the city of Sebo, I persisted for eleven days in the hinterland of the Tang army. This has been considered as completing the task. Even if there is no governor of Libya, I will not have nothing. General Qiyad, I am not convinced of your decision."

Qi Yade was unmoved and said coldly: "I am a soldier and only know how to reward military merits. How could I give him a reward to a general who was wiped out? How could I explain to the army? It is a gift for me not to kill you. Do you still have the face to reward? If you give me a reward, how can there be fairness?"

Shahim was extremely angry. He waved his arms and shouted, "Will you be fair? Ibrahim lost Sindh and Punjab, and the army was destroyed, but you still appointed him as Deputy Governor of Khorasan and did not hold him accountable. Why don't you say fair? Just because you married his sister, just because I was from the Syrian army and not your faction, you made things difficult for me everywhere and asked me to carry out a life-threatening mission. Fortunately, I was lucky and came back to life, so I disappointed you."

Shahim suddenly took a step back and stared at Qiyad, his eyes spurting out of fire, "I understand. In fact, the Caliph did not let me cross the Amu River at all. It was you who changed the Caliph's decision without authorization, asked me to attack Nase Po City, and also asked me to persist for ten days. You actually wanted to use the Tang army's hand to get rid of me, right?"

"presumptuous!"

Qi Yade drew his sword and pointed at him and said coldly: "If you dare to talk nonsense again, I will kill you immediately!"

At this time, Shahim suddenly calmed down and raised his hand and said, "Okay! I was wrong, General Qiyad, I was shocked by the Tang army's fire thunder, so I asked you to forgive me."

Qi Yade slowly withdrew his sword and stared at him for a long time and said, "For the sake of your escape and reporting, I will spare you this time. Next time you dare to be rude to me, I will cut off your head with one sword, get out!"

Shahim restrained the strong anger in his heart and slowly retreated. Chiyad stared at him and couldn't help but feel upset. He actually dared not kill Shahim. This Shahim was transferred from Syria, and there was no even a governor in a small place. The Caliph actually promised him to be the governor of Libya. If he attached so much importance to him, would he want him to replace him?

Qi Yade pondered for a moment and immediately ordered the left and right personal soldiers, "Go and see this person. If he has any movement, report to me immediately."

At this time, Ibrahim hurried into the room, put his hand on his chest and saluted him, "General, why not kill Shahim? This is a rare opportunity!"

Ibrahim was Governor Sindhi who was defeated by Feng Changqing in Punjab. He was Qiyad's brother-in-law. It was because of this relationship that Qiyad tried his best to excuse him. The battle report to Mansour said that the Tang army commander Li Qingan personally led a 100,000 army to attack Sindhi. Ibrahim had too few troops and was defeated by the Tang army to cover up Ibrahim's failure in Sindhi. Now he appointed Ibrahim as Deputy Governor of Khorasan and took half of the army for him. It can be said that Ibrahim is his most trusted confidant.

Chiaed sighed and said, "It's not that I don't want to kill him, but that the Caliph will definitely not let me go."

"But if you don't kill him, will the general think the Caliph will let you go?"

Ibrahim's words hit Qiyad's key point. Qiyad fell on the chair weakly, held his head, inserted his fingers into his hair, and said in pain: "Ibrahim, what should I do now? I don't obey the order, the Caliph wants to kill me, but if I obey the order and go to fight the main force of the Tang army, if I fail, the Caliph will kill me. This time the Caliph obviously has selfish intentions, so that the Khurasan army and the main force of the Tang army will fight, and the final victory is left to Haman, he is simply too cruel."

Ibrahim is not only Chiaed's confidant, but also his military advisor. He has a solution to his decision at critical moments and said, "General, in fact, only the old method I have mentioned."

Chiyad slowly raised his head and said, "You mean I am following the example of Muslims and keeping Khorasan?"

Ibrahim nodded, "Actually, the Abbasid Caliph wanted to kill Abu Muslims, but because the Muslims had the Khorasan army in their hands, Abbas could not move him, and Mansour could not move Muslims, but he had more means to use the general to seize power, so that the Muslims had no support, so that he killed him. The general must learn this lesson. Without the army, you can only let Mansour slaughter."

Ziyad's eyes narrowed into a slit. Ibrahim was right. He was just a tool used by Mansour to kill Muslims, and was definitely not his confidant. His confidant was Khalid and Haman, the Balmak family members, such as Shahim, who were lurking beside him. Mansour would never let him control Khorasan. Now that Muslims are dead and Old Ali is dead, it should be his turn next. At this moment, Ziyad finally made up his mind that he must not obey Mansour's mercy.

Thinking of this, he asked, "Then, how should I protect my Khurasan army?"

Ibrahim smiled sinisterly and said, "Actually, it's very simple. As long as the general sends troops to the end of twenty days, let the Tang army see the Caliph's intentions. In this way, the main force of the Tang army will go north to Khwarezm, and then the general will go to the Amu River again, and you can even secretly send someone to contact Li Qing'an and tell him that you will not cross the Amu River. In this way, let Haman face the main force of the Tang army. If he wins, the general will cross the river and attack the river. If he loses, the general can withdraw. At that time, the Caliph's strength will be greatly reduced, and he will not be able to do anything to the general. What does the general think of this strategy of killing two birds with one stone?"

"clever!"

Qiyad patted his shoulder and praised: "It's very clever, but I don't have to send someone to tell Li Qing'an that he had a tacit understanding with Muslims back then. I believe he should be very clear about my situation."

At this time, a burst of rapid footsteps came from outside, and a personal soldier rushed into the room and said, "General, Shahim is going to escape, we are caught."

"What!" Qiyad stood up and said furiously: "He dares to be so bold!"

Ibrahim hurriedly advised: "General, if you don't kill this person again, there will be endless troubles."

Qiyad nodded and ordered: "Behead him immediately, and order the army, Shahim betrayed his subordinates and fled back alone, and the military law is hard to spare!"

Poor Shahim was able to escape for a lifetime, not at the hands of the Tang army, but died in the internal struggle of the great cannibals.

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This winter is particularly cold. A cold current hit all over Dashi. Damascus also became extremely cold. Everyone wore thick leather jackets, echoing the cold current. An equally cold rumor has spread in the streets and alleys of Damascus in recent days. Khorasan wants to establish a country independently. Khorasan Governor Chiad is preparing to claim to be king and openly split from the Caliph. The news was unknown. The source could not be traced. However, this rumor quickly spread throughout the streets and alleys of Damascus like it had wings.

In the Damascus Palace, Khalid hurriedly passed through a palace led by two black eunuchs and came to the front of the map palace. The palace supervisor whispered to Khalid: "His Excellency Ziville, please do not anger the Caliph again, he is now in anger."

"I know, I'll be responsible."

The palace supervisor opened the door and let Khalid in. Although it was daytime, curtains were lowered around the map palace. The light was dim. Mansour stood in front of the empire's map and stood with his hands behind his back. His originally majestic and straight body seemed a little hunched. Khalid sighed secretly. He knew very well that the pressure the Caliph was under. An emerging empire that was originally full of dangers was in danger and even at the risk of falling apart. There were too many ambitions in the empire.

"Khalid."

Mansour's voice was very low, with a deep sense of fatigue, "I should have killed Chiaed last time."

Khalid knelt on one knee, pressed his hand on his chest, and whispered in a very respectful tone: "Dear Caliph, most of the rumors in the market are hidden behind the stigma. In the face of the great enemy, it may be the enemy's plan to alienate. Although Chiaed is a little unruly, I will never believe that he wants to become a king."

"I am the great caliph. I naturally don't believe the rumors in the city, but I have obtained conclusive evidence that has forced me to believe that rumors in the city may be true, and the evidence is on the table in front of you."

Khalid then found a letter on the table. He hesitated to pick up the letter. The letter was written by Shahim. Khalid still remembered that Shahim was once Mansour's personal army, a fierce and courageous young officer, now it seemed to be in Khorasan.

He looked at the contents of the letter and was stunned. Qiyad actually sent Shahim to lead 3,000 people to seize the city of Nasebo, and said it was the Caliph's order, but he clearly remembered that Shahim led 30,000 people to station on the west bank of the Amu River and feinted the attack on the Sebo. How could it turn into three thousand people to attack the Sebo?

Khalid immediately realized that this was Chiaed's order in fake propaganda to the Caliph, probably to get rid of Shahim.

"Shahim is dead! This letter was sent by his confidant."

Mansour's voice was a little sad, "He occupied the Sebo, completed the command of the coach, and escaped from the Sebo for a lifetime, but was killed by his coach on the grounds of escaping at the battle. He did not die on the battlefield, but died at the hands of his own people."

Khalid was worried that it was abnormal. He knew Mansour very well. Mansour was no longer angry with Chiyad, which means he was determined to kill this person. Khalid was worried that it was this. Now that the war was about to break out, it was time for the empire to work together to deal with the Eastern Tang Dynasty, but there was a slight trajectory, and there was distrust between the caliphs and the powerful ministers and suspicion of each other. If this continued, how could it be possible to win this war?

"Your Majesty the Caliph, no matter if Qiyad has another 10,000 reasons to kill him, Your Majesty must restrain his anger towards him now. Your Majesty is now fighting against the Tang Dynasty with all his might. We must not have internal strife first. After this battle is fought, I will definitely deceive Qiyad and hand it over to Your Majesty for disposal. At that time, I will definitely be the first to support killing Qiyad."

Mansour slowly turned around and walked back to his seat to sit down. He pondered for a long time and said, "I thought about this battle very well. It requires the tacit cooperation between Chiaid and Haman to succeed. But now I am worried that Chiaid would not be able to execute my orders so seriously. Khalid, I am worried that if this battle is defeated again, our eastern land will never be taken back."

"What should you do when your Majesty is going to do?" Khalid asked in a low voice.
Chapter completed!