The Battle of Princess City during the Arab Empire's eastward expedition against the Uyghur Khanate was intense from the very beginning, fueled by the personal grudges between the two commanders.
Every inch of land inside and outside Princess City became the focus of contention between the warring parties.
Although the Tang Dynasty's Anxi Iron Army defending the city was at a significant disadvantage in terms of troop strength, its individual combat capabilities, fighting spirit, and teamwork far surpassed those of the attacking Arab Empire and Wusun armies. As a result, the two sides fought fiercely and evenly in close combat during the siege.
Such fierce offensive and defensive battles had no tactical skills or tricks to employ; they were simply brutal battles where soldiers on both sides drew blood and each shot was lethal.
It wasn't that Turhun, the Arab general who led the eastern expedition against the city, didn't consider methods like digging tunnels, poisoning, or flooding to break through the city, but instead chose the most costly and casualty-riding siege tactics.
Indeed, time waits for no one.
Although, according to the intelligence that Turhong currently possesses, the Tang Dynasty seems to have given up control over the Western Regions and instead stockpiled most of its troops in Chang'an to guard against the Tibetan Empire, which has already made an alliance with the Arab Empire, once again marching south and conquering the Hexi and Longyou areas of the Tang Dynasty.
However, this does not mean that Turhong can rest easy and fight a protracted war with Lanyu outside Princess City.
This time, Turhong led an army of 800,000 to the east. The Battle of Talas alone resulted in more than 100,000 casualties, not counting the food and supplies consumed during the expedition.
As the war intensified and the eastward campaign dragged on, coupled with the continuous influx of troops and resources, even the vast Arab Empire began to struggle.
In the Abbasid court, voices impeaching Turgun were growing louder.
However, the empire's eastern expeditions had very little effect.
Although 35 out of the 36 kingdoms in the Western Regions have declared their submission to the Arab Empire, these 35 kingdoms combined are still not as powerful as the Uyghur Khanate.
Even if Turgun and Caliph Safah were willing to use war to sustain war, these mere thirty-five kingdoms in the Western Regions could not afford to support the Arab Empire's army, which already had a million troops stationed in the Western Regions!
Moreover, the Abbasid Caliphate also had to consider its influence in the Western Regions, and it was impossible for it to engage in short-sighted practices such as "draining the pond to catch the fish" or "killing the goose that lays the golden eggs" with the Western Regions states that had already submitted to the Arab Empire.
Therefore, the Abbasid Caliph Safah issued the latest order to the empire's Eastern Expeditionary General Turhun: a swift and decisive victory.
After swiftly destroying the Uyghur Khaganate and unifying the Western Regions, he immediately sent envoys to the Tang Dynasty to negotiate peace and discuss the restoration of the prosperity of the Silk Road in the Western Regions.
This is why Turhong launched such a fierce attack on Princess City, regardless of casualties, with the aim of ending the war in the Western Regions in the shortest possible time.
However, things didn't go as Turhong had hoped.
Under the command of Lan Yu, a valiant general in the Tang Dynasty army and Marquis of Anxi, the Princess City, with only 30,000 garrison troops, was as solid as an iron wall. No matter how the imperial army attacked and broke through without regard for casualties, the small Princess City remained indestructible, becoming the last barrier for the Arab Empire's eastern expeditionary army to take the Uyghur capital.
The Mid-Autumn Festival falls on the fifteenth day of the eighth month in the first year of the Zhaowu reign of the Tang Dynasty.
Three days have passed since the Arab Empire's 300,000-strong army launched a fierce attack on the Uyghur princess city.
During these three days, under the leadership of Tibbis, the vanguard general of the Arab Empire and the king of Wusun, the Arab army that attacked the city left behind the corpses of more than 20,000 imperial warriors and more than 30,000 wounded outside the city of Princess City, but failed to shake a single brick of the city.
In response, Turhong, the Grand General of the Empire's Eastern Expedition, had lost faith in Tibis, the King of Wusun, who was leading the siege.
At the military conference that night, Turgun finally ordered the removal of Tibis from his post as the vanguard general of the army attacking the city.
At the meeting, Turhong said with a grim expression, "From this moment forward, Tibis is relieved of his post as the vanguard of the Imperial Eastern Expeditionary Army; General Caesar will assume the position."
"Tomorrow, General Caesar will personally lead the troops to attack the city. Tonight, I hope to hold a victory banquet for the Imperial Expeditionary Army on the city walls of Princess City!"
"Your subordinate obeys!"
......
Inside the Princess City, in the central command tent of the garrison camp.
The garrison commanders were anxiously awaiting the return of General Lan Yu inside the main tent.
At this moment, under the bright moon in the Western Regions, Lan Yu, the commander-in-chief, personally came to the city wall guarded by the Great Tang Anxi Iron Army and delivered freshly baked mooncakes to the soldiers.
In this way, the soldiers guarding the border region, thousands of miles from home, could experience a different kind of Mid-Autumn Festival.
After three days of fierce fighting, of the more than 10,000 Tang Dynasty Anxi Iron Army soldiers in Princess City, only more than 5,000 able-bodied soldiers and more than 2,000 wounded remained. More than 3,000 Tang soldiers were buried forever in Princess City of the Uyghurs.
Lan Yu knew that after tonight, many more soldiers would likely be laid to rest in the Princess City, which is why he personally climbed the city wall and delivered the mooncakes that the kitchen had hastily prepared to the soldiers.
To this day, he has still not received any news from Emperor Zhaowu or any reinforcements.
However, judging from the reaction of the Arab Empire's army attacking the city, the battle to defend the city will become extremely brutal in the coming period, which will force Lan Yu to grit his teeth and persevere until the emperor and reinforcements arrive.
After inspecting the city's defenses, Lan Yu hurriedly returned to the central command tent.
brush!
He had barely entered when the generals, who had been anxiously waiting inside, rose to greet Lan Yu.
"General—"
"General, you've arrived!"
Lan Yu nodded slightly to the crowd, then strode to the main seat and sat down with an air of authority. He waved for everyone to sit down and said, "Everyone, please sit down!"
He then instructed, "You there, distribute all the mooncakes the kitchen has rushed to make to everyone. Today is the traditional Mid-Autumn Festival of the Han Chinese people of the Central Plains."
"We guard the border for our country, shedding our blood on the battlefield. Although we cannot reunite with our families on this Mid-Autumn Festival, we still need mooncakes to keep us company. The ingredients in the city are limited, so we can only make mooncakes of one flavor. Please make do with these!"
After saying that, Lan Yu picked up a mooncake and started eating it by herself.
Seeing this, the other Tang generals followed suit, eating mooncakes while mumbling, "Thank you, General!"
Mawlani and Ababakri, Uyghurs, were originally from the Western Regions and had no custom of celebrating the Mid-Autumn Festival. However, at this time, they followed the example of General Lan Yu and a group of Tang generals, stuffing mooncakes, a specialty of the Central Plains, into their mouths and chewing them.
The mooncake, which was originally filled with sugar, turned into a turbulent and complex mix of flavors for Mawlani and Ababakri.
After three consecutive days of hard-fought battles, Mawlani and Ababakri, along with their more than 20,000 Uyghur soldiers defending the city, witnessed firsthand the heroic scene of the Tang Dynasty's Anxi Iron Army fighting a bloody battle against the invading Uyghur Khanate on the walls of Princess City, a battle that lasted until death. They were inevitably moved by the sight.
yes!
Whether it was Lan Yu, the Marquis of Anxi of the Tang Dynasty, or his Anxi Iron Army, they could have chosen to stand by and watch during the Arab Empire's invasion of the Uyghur Khanate.
Alternatively, they could remain in the princess city as reserves to observe the battle, while the Uyghur soldiers who should have been fighting the invading enemy went to the front lines to fight the enemy.
However, General Lan Yu and his soldiers, knowing full well that they were in a situation with a slim chance of survival, resolutely rushed to the front line, leaving the chance of survival to the Uyghur garrison soldiers.
This action not only demonstrated the responsibility of the Tang Dynasty as the suzerain state of the Uyghur Khanate, but also highlighted the righteous act of the Tang soldiers led by Lan Yu, the Marquis of Anxi.
Both Mawlani and Abba Bekri were straightforward soldiers, unlike the cunning and scheming civil officials in the imperial court.
Faced with the Tang soldiers who sacrificed their lives for themselves and their Uyghur garrison, they felt genuine admiration.
Finally, the young Uyghur general, Ababakri, couldn't hold back any longer. Chewing on a mooncake, he choked out, "General, for tomorrow's defense of the city, please move my troops and the royal guards to the east gate to relieve the Tang soldiers who have been under constant and fierce attack."
"This humble general and the soldiers of the royal guard are fully prepared to fight the enemy to the death. We hope that the general will give us a chance to serve our country."
As he spoke, Ababakri stood up, his eyes red-rimmed, and looked at Lan Yu, who remained unmoved in the main seat, and volunteered, "Please grant my request, General!"
This time, Abba Bakri volunteered for the battle, and even the older Uyghur general Mawlani in the princess city no longer tried to dissuade him. He even had a faint impulse to fight alongside the young Uyghur soldiers, but in the end, he was controlled by his reason and just silently ate the mooncake in his hand, finding it tasteless.
"good!"
In the main seat, General Lan Yu agreed to the request for battle from Abba Bekri, the young Uyghur general and commander of the Uyghur royal guard.
Lan Yu was never an indecisive person, nor was he someone who sought fame and fortune. Now, the battle to defend Princess City had entered a fierce stage, and every day that followed would come at a great cost in casualties.
While the Tang Dynasty's Anxi Iron Army still has the strength to fight, it is time to send the Uyghur soldiers in the city to the battlefield, where they can grow stronger as soon as possible through the trials of war and with the help of the Tang Dynasty's Anxi Iron Army.
Lan Yu waved his hand and said, "Pass down the order that tomorrow General Ababakli will lead the Uyghur royal guards to the East Gate to assist in the defense, but the commander of the East Gate will be Deputy General Tan Li. A decision will be made later!"
"Your subordinate obeys!"
Inside the main tent, Vice General Tan Li and Uyghur general Ababakri immediately stood up, cupped their hands in greeting to General Lan Yu, and acknowledged their orders.
The next day.
On the 16th day of the eighth month of the first year of the Zhaowu reign of the Tang Dynasty, the fourth day of the Arab Empire's eastern expeditionary army's strong attack on the Uyghur Khanate.
Princess City, being the closest city to the Uyghur capital, naturally remained a key target for the Arab Empire's eastern expeditionary force. After a new siege vanguard general was appointed, the Arab Empire's offensive intensified.
At the height of the battle, a section of the eastern city wall of the Princess City, stretching for several meters, was captured by the vanguard of the Arab Empire's eastern expeditionary army, and the two sides engaged in fierce fighting on that narrow section of the wall.
The close-quarters hand-to-hand combat allowed Aba Baikli, the young Uyghur general and commander of the royal guard of the Uyghur Khanate, who was experiencing such a brutal battle for the first time, to truly feel the cruelty of the battlefield.
In the end, it was only with the reinforcements of General Lan Yu's personal guards that Princess City was barely held.
However, Lan Yu also knew that if the battle continued in this intense manner, even if he brought up the last 10,000 Uyghur garrison troops in the city, it would probably be difficult to hold out for another ten days.
Same day.
The three surrounding cities of Black Tiger, Meijian, and Qadin, in addition to Princess City, the capital of the Uyghur Khaganate, were also attacked by the Arab Empire's army on its eastward expedition. The Uyghur troops defending the cities suffered extremely heavy casualties, and the cities fell in an instant.
On the 17th day of the eighth month of the first year of the Zhaowu reign of the Tang Dynasty, the fifth day of the Arab Empire's eastern expedition against the Uyghurs.
Inside the main hall of the Uyghur capital's royal palace, the exhausted Uyghur Khan, Moyanchuo, dragged his weary body to court. No sooner had he landed on the throne than Lukes, the Uyghur Khanate's prime minister, brought devastating news.
"Your Majesty, Black Tiger City fell into enemy hands early this morning!"
Lux said with great distress, "Then, before the messenger from Black Tiger City went to the palace to report the news, he saw with his own eyes that the walls of Black Tiger City were covered with the battle flags of the Abbasid Dynasty, and, and smoke signals were being raised!"
Wow!
Upon hearing this, wails and screams erupted throughout the royal palace.
The Uyghur civil and military officials present all understood what it meant when the Abbasid army raised smoke signals after capturing the city.
This means they're going to massacre the entire city!
As expected, the letter of persuasion sent by Turhun, the general of the Arab Empire's eastern expedition, was true. If the Uyghur Khanate insisted on its own way and refused to surrender to the Arab Empire...
The day the Arab Empire's eastern expeditionary army breaches the city will be the day of its massacre.
What a pity for the 50,000 Uyghur soldiers and more than 300,000 civilians in Black Tiger City!
Upon hearing the news that Black Tiger City had fallen into enemy hands, the mighty Khan Moyanchuo felt a wave of dizziness and nearly collapsed in the palace hall.
However, he knew he couldn't afford to give up now.
However, what Prime Minister Lukes said next dealt another blow to the mighty Khan Moyanchuo.
Moyanchuo continued, "Reporting to the Great Khan, the messengers from the cities of Meijian and Qatun arrived at the palace this morning, bringing the latest news on the battle situation in both cities;"
"Under the overwhelming force of the Arab Empire's eastern expeditionary army, which possessed superior manpower and weaponry, the Uyghur soldiers and civilians stationed in the cities of Meijian and Qadin, despite their desperate resistance, were unable to withstand the enemy's onslaught."
"The city will fall! The city will fall in the blink of an eye!"
"What did you say?"
At this moment, the mind of the mighty Khan Mo Yanchuo finally exploded with a buzz.
He seemed to have been drained of all his energy and strength, and slumped helplessly on the throne in the middle of the hall, his already melancholy blue eyes filled with helplessness and frustration.
The other Uyghur civil and military officials in the palace were in no better shape, and wails of agony filled the vast palace hall.
And once again, voices advocating surrender to the Arab Empire resounded in the hall.
"Great Khan, before the cities of Meijian and Qatun fall, why not submit to the Arab Empire as soon as possible? Do we really have to wait until the day our country is destroyed and our race is wiped out?"
"Yes, Great Khan!"
"The Arab Empire, which launched its eastern expedition, mobilized a large army to attack my Uyghur Khanate. It was determined to unify the Western Regions. If the combined strength of the thirty-six kingdoms of the Western Regions could not withstand the Abbasid Caliphate, what use would it be for my Uyghur Khanate to fight to the death?"
"Then, the Tang Dynasty has clearly abandoned the Western Regions Silk Road, so why are we persisting in it?"
"Great Khan, for the sake of the million Uyghur people who are still alive, we beg you to reconsider!"
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