"Long live the Emperor! May the Tang Dynasty prosper forever!"
On the gate tower of the barbican of the Uyghur Princess City, the surviving soldiers, inspired and rallied by General Lan Yu, roared in unison from the bottom of their hearts.
Despite this, the defending soldiers standing atop the city wall, gazing into the distance, still could not see any reinforcements in sight.
However, they all knew very well that the person who could make the hundreds of thousands of Arab Empire's eastern expeditionary army outside the city abandon the Princess City that was so close at hand and within their grasp was none other than Chen Huai'an, the founding emperor of the Tang Dynasty!
The Emperor has not forgotten the isolated Tang army in Anxi, besieged in Princess City;
The Heavenly Khan has not forgotten the soldiers of the Uyghur Khanate, who, among the thirty-six kingdoms of the Western Regions, have refused to surrender to the Arab Empire's eastern expeditionary force until their deaths!
"Long live the Emperor! May the Tang Dynasty prosper forever!"
On a battlefield a few miles away from Princess City, Emperor Chen Huai'an of the Tang Dynasty, clad in golden armor and with a Longquan sword at his waist, stood proudly on a towering hillside in Yipianshi, closely watching the battle between the Tang cavalry and the Persian cavalry through a monocular telescope.
A faint, almost imperceptible roar seemed to echo in my ears.
"Xiao Po, did you hear that?"
Chen Huai'an asked without turning his head.
Um?
Commander of the Imperial Guard, Marquis Xiao Po, paused for a moment, and after listening intently, replied without hesitation, "Your Majesty, I heard it."
"In the direction of Princess City, the soldiers of our Great Tang are roaring in unison, shouting 'Long live the Emperor! May the Great Tang prosper forever!' It must be Lan Yu, the Marquis of Anxi, who is guarding Princess City!"
Um!
Chen Huai'an nodded and said expressionlessly, "It seems that Marquis Lan Yu of Anxi and the soldiers of the Anxi Protectorate in Princess City are still alive and have not allowed the rebel general Turhong to breach the city!"
With that, Chen Huai'an waved his hand and said sternly, "Send the order down: the army is to advance! I will personally go to Princess City to meet the Tang soldiers who have held out until now!"
"Your subordinate obeys!"
With Chen Huai'an's order, all 100,000 Tang cavalry on the battlefield of Yipianshi were thrown into battle. Their offensive surged wave after wave, quickly scattering the Persian cavalry in the Arab Empire's eastward expeditionary army that had rushed to meet them. The Tang cavalry then marched straight into Princess City.
In reality, the troops that Chen Huai'an led to reinforce the Uyghur Khanate were not as numerous as the Arab messenger reported to General Turhun, which stated that they numbered a million.
The Tang reinforcements, consisting of 200,000 cavalry and 300,000 infantry, totaling 500,000 troops, were divided into two routes to reinforce Princess City and the Uyghur capital, Harabalgas.
The remaining 500,000 troops took advantage of the fact that the thirty-five kingdoms of the Western Regions, who had long since defected from the Tang Dynasty, were attacking the Uyghurs and their domestic forces were weak, and seized the opportunity to occupy those thirty-five kingdoms of the Western Regions.
Emperor Zhaowu Chen Huai'an was confident and capable of annihilating the Arab Empire's army that was on an eastern expedition with his 500,000-strong army.
Besides, even if the 500,000 Tang troops couldn't wipe out Turhong's 700,000-strong army in one go, didn't Chen Huai'an still have the [Born to Be an Emperor] system?
You think that unlimited troop production privilege is a joke?
If it weren't for the concern that the Western Regions couldn't afford the supplies needed to summon more troops through the system, Chen Huai'an could have summoned an army of tens of millions at once and pushed all the way to Baghdad, the capital of the Arab Empire.
Shen Shi Shi Fen.
After an hour of fierce fighting, the two Arab Empire armies, totaling 50,000 troops, responsible for guarding the battlefields of Yipianshi and Wufeng Mountain outside Princess City, were completely annihilated by the Tang army.
Emperor Chen Huai'an, the founding emperor of the Tang Dynasty, rode a magnificent Akhal-Teke horse, urging his steed towards the ruined and devastated Uyghur Princess City, which was now littered with corpses, under the watchful eyes of the crowd.
On the city gate tower, Lan Yu, the Marquis of Anxi of the Tang Dynasty, still maintained the posture of tying himself to the flagpole of a Tang Dynasty battle flag with a rope.
Beside Lan Yu were two deputy generals, Luo Quan and Tan Li, who were helping each other to stand up. A little further away were two Uyghur Khanate generals, Aba Baikli and Mawlani.
Then came the soldiers who were already in tattered armor, disheveled, and covered in blood. They included soldiers from the Tang Dynasty's Anxi Protectorate and soldiers from the Uyghur Khanate.
They looked so disheveled and on the verge of death, as if they might die at any moment;
However, they had one thing in common: their unwavering gazes, which had endured life and death but remained steadfast, were now filled with tears as they looked down at the majestic figure clad in golden armor, backlit by the setting sun.
That was the founding emperor worshipped by countless soldiers of the Tang Dynasty, Emperor Zhaowu Chen Huai'an, who was revered as the Heavenly Khan by the subjects of the Western Regions.
"Your Majesty, your subjects, your subjects have finally been waiting for Your Majesty to arrive—"
On the city wall, Lan Yu, who was tied to the flagpole with ropes, said with snot and tears streaming down his face, "Your Majesty, we have fulfilled our mission and have never surrendered to the enemy until our dying breath!"
"Long live the Emperor!"
"Long live the Emperor!"
"Long live the Emperor!"
Finally, under Lan Yu's leadership, the more than one hundred surviving soldiers on the city gate tower knelt down in unison, kowtowed to Emperor Zhaowu Chen Huai'an below the city, and shouted "Long live the Emperor!"
Even Chen Huai'an, who had long since cultivated a heart of steel, was moved by this scene.
Especially for Anxi Marquis Lan Yu, who fought by tying himself to a flagpole, Chen Huai'an originally intended to make an example of him by mishandling the Wusun Kingdom, which instigated a mutiny in the Western Regions and gave the Arab Empire an opportunity to launch an eastward expedition.
But at that moment, he changed his mind.
Of course, clear rewards and punishments are the foundation of the strict discipline of the Tang army under Chen Huai'an's command, and Anxi Marquis Lan Yu could not go unpunished for making a mistake.
How about we just make them drink three cups of wine as punishment!
In any case, there is absolutely no doubt about the loyalty of Marquis Anxi, Lan Yu.
Furthermore, if it weren't for Lan Yu's accidental success in handling the Wusun mutiny, Chen Huai'an really wouldn't have found an opportunity to purge the thirty-six kingdoms of the Western Regions and separate military and political power in those kingdoms in a short period of time.
In fact, Lan Yu should be rewarded for his contributions!
Chen Huai'an rode his horse step by step into the Princess City, stepping over the corpses of soldiers from both sides to climb the inner city gate tower. He personally came to the side of Lan Yu, the Marquis of Anxi of the Tang Dynasty, untied him, and lowered him down from the flagpole.
It wasn't until Lan Yu's legs touched the ground, but she was too injured to stand, that Chen Huai'an asked with concern, "What's wrong? Did you tie yourself to the flagpole to fight because your knees were injured?"
Um!
Lan Yu nodded vigorously and said, "Your Majesty, we are determined to die and vow to live and die with Princess City. I have tied myself to the flagpole to direct the battle so that all the defending soldiers can see that I, Lan Yu, am still here on Princess City."
"I want the attacking Arab barbarians to know that I, Lan Yu, am willing to die for the Tang Dynasty, but I will never fall before the mere Abbasid Caliphate!"
Um!
Chen Huai'an nodded, gently patted Lan Yu's shoulder, and then instructed, "Xiao Po, you personally take Marquis Anxi down and tell my imperial physicians to heal his leg no matter what!"
"My lord, I obey the order!"
Xiao Po immediately accepted the order and then had the accompanying Jinwu Guard soldiers help the dying Marquis of Anxi, Lan Yu, down from the city wall.
At this moment, Chen Huai'an turned his gaze to the two Uyghur generals, one old and one young, standing to the side.
Upon seeing this, Tan Li, who was both the deputy general of the Anxi Protectorate of the Great Tang Dynasty and the person in charge of the Western Regions of the Longcheng Inner Guard of the Great Tang Dynasty, hurriedly introduced him to Chen Huai'an: "Your Majesty, this man is a general of the Uyghur Khanate. He has been guarding Princess City alongside us. He is a first-class iron-blooded soldier and a tough guy!"
"This young man is named Aba Baikli. He was originally the captain of the royal guard under the valiant Khan Moyanchuo of the Uyghur Khanate, and also the Khan's nephew and the Imperial Concubine's cousin;"
"The older one is called Mawlani, and he was originally the garrison general of this Princess City!"
Um!
Chen Huai'an nodded again, first patting Mawlani on the shoulder and saying with concern, "You've worked hard!"
Then, he turned his gaze to the young Uyghur general Ababakri and said with a smile, "According to the rules of the Han region of the Tang Dynasty, you are my brother-in-law, haha!"
Hahaha!
Upon hearing this, all the Tang soldiers present smiled knowingly.
"Your Majesty, I... I dare not!"
The young Uyghur general, Ababakri, was already intimidated by the imperial aura emanating from Chen Huai'an. How could he dare to presume to admit that he was the brother-in-law of the Heavenly Khan? He hurriedly knelt down in front of Chen Huai'an to admit his mistake.
"Get up and speak!"
Chen Huai'an waved his hand and continued, "Abba Bekri, tell me, why are you so eager to admit your mistakes, or so courageous in admitting them?"
"Your Majesty, I, your subject..."
Abba Bekri stood up shakily, but dared not meet Chen Huai'an's gaze, and did not know how to answer the Khan's question.
In the end, it was Chen Huai'an who kindly helped him out of the predicament.
Chen Huai'an said, "Alright, it's only natural that you, as a Uyghur, don't understand the customs of the Han people. However, you should learn more about the customs and traditions of the Han people in the future!"
"Your subject obeys!"
Abba Bekri hurriedly clasped his hands in a gesture of respect and bowed his head to accept the order.
Chen Huai'an then asked, "How are you? Can you still mount a horse? Can you still lift a scimitar?"
Um?
Upon hearing this, Abba Bakri's expression froze, clearly not understanding the Khan's meaning.
It wasn't until Mawlani nudged him with his elbow that he suddenly realized what was happening and hurriedly replied to Chen Huai'an, "Your Majesty, I can still ride a horse, I can still draw a bow, and I have the strength to lift a scimitar to fight and defeat the enemy!"
"Alright!"
Chen Huai'an nodded and instructed, "Go quickly and change your clothes. Then, I will personally lead the army to reinforce the Uyghur capital, Harabalgas, and personally rescue your mighty Khan and the Uyghur people in the city!"
"Your subject obeys!"
After the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, Abba Bakri, now dressed in Tang Dynasty armor, was in high spirits. He mounted his warhorse and led 100,000 Tang cavalrymen, heading straight for Harabalqas, the capital of the Uyghur Khanate, following the route of the fleeing Arab Empire's eastward expeditionary army.
Looking at Ababakri's heroic figure, and recalling the already protruding belly of the Imperial Noble Consort Yue Qiluo who came to see him off before his departure, Chen Huai'an suddenly had a bold idea.
Judging from the timeline, the time it takes for me to quell the rebellion in the Western Regions should be roughly the same as the time it takes for Yue Qiluo's child to be born.
If the Imperial Noble Consort Yue Qiluo gave birth to a prince, wouldn't I be able to rightfully and legitimately appoint him as the new Khan of the Uyghur Khanate?
Then, with the prince's maternal uncle, the young general Abba Bakri, assisting him, it would be perfect.
The only thing missing to achieve this goal is that the current Uyghur Khan, the valiant Khan, will sacrifice himself for his country and die in battle in the capital before the Tang reinforcements arrive at Harabalgas, the capital of the Uyghur Khanate.
Chen Huai'an felt no psychological burden whatsoever about this!
Although this valiant Khan Moyanchuo was Chen Huai'an's father-in-law in the secular sense;
However, the father-in-law's original intention in marrying his daughter Yue Qiluo to him was guided by the previous Uyghur prime minister, Lao Has. He wanted to have his daughter's son participate in the struggle for the throne of the Tang Dynasty after he passed away. He even fantasized that the bloodline of the emperor of the Tang Dynasty would have half of the Uyghur bloodline in the future.
Now that I have personally taken over the thirty-six kingdoms of the Western Regions, what is wrong with appointing my son, the grandson of your valiant Khan Moyanchuo, as the new Uyghur Khan?
Anyway, it's better to keep the good stuff in the family!
I could even personally support him to become the sole king of the entire Western Regions, and completely integrate the thirty-six kingdoms of the Western Regions into one country. Wouldn't that be wonderful?
As for Chen Huai'an, on his path to becoming an emperor for all ages, it wouldn't be unreasonable to add the title of Heavenly Khan, the ruler of the Western Regions!
It is unknown whether even the heavens sensed the intentions of Chen Huai'an, the chosen one. When he led 100,000 reinforcements to the Uyghur capital, Harabalgas, under the tireless leadership of Abba Bakri.
Another Tang reinforcement army, which arrived in the Uyghur capital ahead of him, consisting of 100,000 Imperial Guards led by General Zhao Zilong, had already repelled the Arab Empire's eastern expeditionary army that was besieging the city and lifted the siege of Harabalqas.
Unfortunately, Zhao Zilong arrived a step too late.
When he led his troops to the scene, the Uyghur royal palace had already fallen.
When Zhao Zilong found the valiant Khan Mo Yanchuo, the latter had already been hit by several arrows and was on the verge of death, clinging to life with only a breath left.
Until he entrusted Zhao Zilong to convey his dying words to Emperor Zhaowu of the Tang Dynasty, Chen Huai'an.
"Your Majesty, before the valiant Khan passed away, he entrusted me to convey a message to you!"
With a grave expression, Zhao Zilong, the commander of the Imperial Guards, leaned close to Chen Huai'an's ear and whispered, "The valiant Khan said that he... he never surrendered to the Arab Empire until his death, and he upheld the dignity of the Tang Dynasty as the suzerain state of the Uyghurs until his last breath."
"I hope that His Majesty will treat Imperial Noble Consort Yue Qiluo kindly for the rest of her life, considering that he died on the battlefield!"
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