The Battle of Black Tiger City broke out almost without warning.
Emperor Zhaowu of the Tang Dynasty, Chen Huai'an, personally led an army of 100,000 to besiege Black Tiger City, engaging in a protracted battle with the more than 200,000-strong Arab Empire expeditionary army and its allied forces from the Western Regions.
Although the Tang army was outnumbered in this battle, the two hundred bronze cannons produced in the Carolingian Empire and the one hundred red-coated cannons of the Tang Divine Machine Battalion perfectly made up for the Tang army's lack of manpower.
Knowing that the Arab Empire's eastern expeditionary army inside Black Tiger City had long been out of supplies, Chen Huai'an was not in a hurry to break through the city. Instead, he adopted a strategy of besieging without attacking, intending to starve out the 200,000-strong army under the command of Turhun, the Abbasid Caliphate's eastern expeditionary general, with minimal casualties.
Every day, the city's defenders were bombarded with fire from the three hundred cannons outside the city, causing them immense suffering.
Of course, the Arab Empire's army stationed in Black Tiger City did consider breaking out and counterattacking.
However, under the threat of three hundred cannons of various types and thousands of crossbows, as well as the encirclement by the heavily armed Tang cavalry, the Arab Empire army inside the city organized dozens of breakout attempts, but in the end, they only left behind a pile of corpses outside the city before retreating.
On the tenth day of the ninth month of the first year of the Zhaowu reign of the Tang Dynasty, the Tang army besieged Black Tiger City for the ninth day.
Inside the city, the besieged Arab army had slaughtered all the thousands of warhorses of the vassal armies of the Western Regions and were feeding on horse meat, but they still could not escape the fate of running out of food.
If it weren't for the continuous rainfall in Black Tiger City these days, even getting drinking water would be a problem for the garrison troops inside the city.
Inside the central command tent, General Turhong, the commander of the Eastern Expedition, sat silently in the main seat.
Before him, dozens of generals from the Arab Empire's eastern expeditionary army knelt down, pleading with the general to send someone out of the city to negotiate peace in time, so as to avoid the tragedy of 200,000 troops being trapped and dying in Black Tiger City.
"General, let's call a ceasefire and negotiate peace immediately! This war is unwinnable!"
"Yes, General!"
"In recent days, the imperial expeditionary forces in Meijian and Khatun have also lost contact with the main camp. Judging from the Tang army's siege of Black Tiger City, the situation of the imperial expeditionary forces in Meijian and Khatun is probably the same as that of the main camp."
"If this continues, we won't even have to wait for the Tang army outside the city to attack before we starve to death!"
Boom! Boom!
Suddenly, seemingly in coordination with the Arab generals inside the main tent who were advising General Turhong to negotiate peace and surrender, the Tang Dynasty's Shenji Battalion outside the city began its daily routine of bombarding the city again.
The bronze cannons used to bombard the city were purchased from the Charlemagne Empire at great expense by Tursun, the elder brother of General Turhong and the prime minister of the Arab Empire.
During their time trapped in Black Tiger City, these Arab generals witnessed firsthand the power of bronze cannons on the battlefield.
At the same time, they also hated Prime Minister Tursun in their hearts. Why did he have to buy a bunch of bronze cannons to send to the Tang army? Wasn't he just trying to kill off the imperial army that was on its eastern expedition?
If it weren't for the deterrent effect of those bronze cannons, the Imperial Expeditionary Army cavalry trapped in Black Tiger City might have already broken out long ago. They wouldn't be stuck here, suffering from hunger and watching their morale decline day by day.
On the main seat of the main tent, facing the advice of his generals, the Eastern Expeditionary General Turhong, with a gloomy face, remained unmoved.
He's still waiting, waiting for an opportunity to break through.
As the greatest warrior of the Abbasid Caliphate and the Grand General of the Eastern Expedition, Turhong could accept the failure of his eastern expedition, but he could never accept negotiating peace and surrendering to the enemy Tang Dynasty.
Over this period of time, he had discovered the weakness and flaw of the bronze cannons used by the Tang army outside the city: the gunpowder could not be used after it got damp.
Therefore, Turhong had been patiently waiting for a stormy and torrential opportunity when he would don his armor as the greatest warrior of the Abbasid Caliphate and personally lead his imperial cavalry to break through the Tang army's camp outside the city.
However, this was something that Turhong kept hidden deep in his heart, and he did not reveal it to his generals at this time.
He simply waved his hand and said calmly, "General Aini, pass down the order: go to the Persian cavalry and select another thousand warhorses to kill, so the soldiers can have a good meal."
"Do not mention the matter of a ceasefire and peace negotiations in front of me;"
"With a major battle imminent, anyone who undermines morale will be executed without mercy!"
"Your humble servant obeys!"
......
Outside Black Tiger City, in the central command tent of the Tang army.
Emperor Zhaowu Chen Huai'an was hosting a banquet for his generals in his main tent, including Marquis Zhenxi Guo Dingfang, Marquis Changxin Zuo Liangcai, and two deputy generals of the Anxi Protectorate, Tan Li and Luo Quan.
Even Lan Yu, the Marquis of Anxi, who had injured both knees in the Battle of Princess City a month earlier and ultimately tied himself to a flagpole to direct the battle, appeared in the central command tent.
The group enjoyed the fragrant roasted mutton and sweet Western Region wine. Judging from their relaxed state, they seemed to be on vacation rather than on a military expedition to the Western Regions.
After recovering from his injuries, Marquis Lan Yu of Anxi still maintained his carefree and easygoing manner.
Regarding the matter of him causing the Queen Consort of Wusun to commit suicide by hitting her head against a beam, Emperor Zhaowu of the Tang Dynasty, Chen Huai'an, had already reached a conclusion, ultimately deciding that Lan Yu's merits and demerits in the battle against the Arab Empire's eastern expeditionary army were offset, and he was given a three-cup slap on the wrist to put the matter behind him.
Feeling deeply grateful for the Emperor's boundless grace, Lan Yu volunteered, saying, "Your Majesty, the army has been besieging the city for several days. The enemy troops stationed inside have long been out of food, and their morale has plummeted."
"In my opinion, we should simply take Black Tiger City in one fell swoop tomorrow and capture the enemy's commander, Turhong, alive."
"Your subject is willing to be the vanguard of the army and be the first to seize the flag!"
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
At this moment, Marquis Guo Dingfang of Zhenxi also stepped forward and echoed, "Your Majesty, I believe that the enemy troops inside Black Tiger City would rather slaughter their warhorses for food than surrender, indicating their intention to resist to the bitter end."
"Such stubborn and unyielding people should all be killed without exception!"
"Marquis Zhenxi is mistaken—"
Marquis Changxin, Zuo Liangcai, also slowly said, "In my opinion, the enemy troops inside Black Tiger City have been stubbornly resisting until now, waiting for an opportunity to break out of the city!"
"What opportunity?"
Lan Yu asked without hesitation.
Ha ha!
Zuo Liangcai smiled and said, "We're waiting for a stormy, torrential downpour!"
"At that time, our Shenji Battalion's red-coated cannons will be unable to exert their power, which will be the opportunity for the enemy troops in Black Tiger City to break out of the city!"
Um!
On his throne, Emperor Zhaowu Chen Huai'an finally heard the answer that satisfied him.
Chen Huai'an waved his hand and said, "What Marquis Changxin said is very true. I think so too. According to the usual practice, the weather in the Uyghur Khanate will become complicated and changeable after the Double Ninth Festival. A late autumn rain is not impossible."
Upon hearing this, Lan Yu raised an eyebrow and hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, since that's the case, then our army should take advantage of the clear weather and the fact that the Shenji Battalion's red-coated cannons can provide support for the army's siege, and launch a strong attack on Black Tiger City!"
"Otherwise, if that scoundrel Turhong really gets his wish and a downpour comes, wouldn't that force him to lead his troops out of the city to break through?"
Hahaha!
Upon hearing this, Chen Huai'an, who was in the main seat, couldn't help but burst into laughter.
After laughing, he confidently said, "Lan Yu, Lan Yu, the reason I've besieged Black Tiger City without attacking is that I'm waiting for the day when the enemy's commander, Turhong, will take the initiative to break out of the city."
"As far as I know, this Turhun is the foremost warrior of the Abbasid Caliphate;"
"Come to think of it, it's been several years since I last fought an enemy general on horseback, since I last defeated the tyrant Zhao Gan of the previous dynasty."
"I'm itching to see what this greatest warrior of the Abbasids is really made of!"
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