In the first year of the Zhaowu reign of the Tang Dynasty, from the third to the fifth day of the sixth month.
The Arab Empire's 800,000-strong army, led by Tibbis, the last king of the Wusun Kingdom, and Batel, the son of the last Khan of the Turkic Khaganate, marched eastward to the Western Regions. They fought fiercely against the 50,000-strong Anxi Iron Cavalry of the Tang Dynasty, led by Lan Yu, the Marquis of Anxi and Deputy Military Governor of Anxi Protectorate (Northern Prefecture), in the Talas area.
In this battle, the Arab army, which had an absolute advantage in troop strength and was supported by the four kingdoms of Shi, Ronglu, Gumo, and Beilu in the Western Regions, almost annihilated the 50,000 Tang cavalry led by Lan Yu, the Marquis of Anxi, at Talas.
Finally, upon receiving a report from Tan Li, the deputy general under Lan Yu, requesting assistance, Huo Qubing, the deputy military governor of the Anxi Protectorate (Southern Prefecture) of the Tang Dynasty and the Marquis of Champion, personally led 30,000 Tang Tiger and Leopard Cavalry on a thousand-mile journey to their aid, rescuing Lan Yu and his party from their perilous situation.
After two days and nights of fierce fighting between the 800,000-strong Arab army that was conquering the Western Regions and the 80,000-strong army of the Tang Dynasty's Anxi Protectorate (North and South Protectorates), this epic battle between two super empires of the East and West came to an end with the Tang Dynasty's Anxi Protectorate's voluntary withdrawal.
In the Battle of Talas, the Tang Dynasty's Anxi Protectorate, with an overwhelming force of 80,000 men, faced an 800,000-strong Arab army on an eastward expedition. Ultimately, at the cost of over 50,000 casualties, they annihilated more than 300,000 Arab troops on the eastward expedition.
Although the Tang Dynasty was defeated in this battle, it was still glorious.
After the Arab Empire's Pyrrhic victory in its eastward expedition, having controlled more than ten kingdoms in the Western Regions, including Wusun, Xiaowan, Shiguo, Ronglu, Gumo, and Beilu, which were close to the border of the Pamir Plateau, they dared not continue to advance eastward rashly.
After the Battle of Talas, the Tang Dynasty's Anxi Protectorate, severely weakened, still effectively controlled more than half of the countries in the Western Regions with its weak military force. It dared not rashly launch a westward expedition to seek confrontation with the powerful Arab Empire's eastward expeditionary army.
After a fierce battle, both sides remained silent and restrained.
Of course, this silence and restraint were only temporary.
In fact, both sides had already documented the events of the Battle of Talas and sent them to their respective capitals by express courier, awaiting the new decisions and plans of their supreme rulers.
Beneath the calm surface lies a larger storm and a new crisis.
The twelfth day of the sixth month of the first year of the Zhaowu reign of the Tang Dynasty.
Inside the Golden Palace of the Imperial City of Nanjing.
The atmosphere at today's court assembly was exceptionally oppressive and heavy. All the civil and military officials attending the assembly in the main hall wore solemn expressions and were preoccupied with their own thoughts.
I had assumed that after the founding of the Tang Dynasty, it would be a prosperous and peaceful era with favorable weather and abundant harvests.
Who would have thought that now we are surrounded by crises, war has broken out again, we are surrounded by powerful enemies from the outside, and we have military generals who are raising their own troops from within.
First, Liu Ziyu, the chief military officer of the Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun and the Earl of Wuyi of the Great Tang Dynasty, defied the imperial decree and refused to carry out the order from the Ministry of War.
Later, the powerful Arab Empire, from outside the Western Regions, sent an army of 800,000 to conquer the Tang Dynasty in the east, and fought a fierce battle with the Tang cavalry of the Anxi Protectorate at Talas.
Even the eastern expedition against Goguryeo, which should have been a piece of cake, has now reached a stalemate. Even with the "God of War" Prince Chen Longxiang personally leading the troops and the support of the Shenji Battalion's red-coated cannons, it has taken three months to finally conquer Goguryeo.
Faced with such a situation after the founding of the Tang Dynasty, even the usually mature and self-respecting Duke of Jin, Pang Xianchu, couldn't help but sigh: "This is truly a time of great turmoil!"
For Emperor Zhaowu Chen Huai'an, facing this situation of "internal and external troubles," he couldn't help but sigh: "Being an emperor for all ages is truly not easy!"
Let's get back to the main topic.
In the imperial court, Minister of War Li Jingyu was the first to present his memorial, saying, "Your Majesty, after receiving the report from the Anxi Protectorate regarding the Battle of Talas, the Ministry of War has formulated a strategy to counter the enemy overnight, which is as follows—"
"Twenty thousand troops were drawn from each of the Liangjiang, Lianghu, and Imperial Guards of the capital, and together with two hundred thousand troops drawn from the Anxi Protectorate, forming a total army of two hundred and sixty thousand to form the Great Tang Dynasty's western expeditionary force, which marched to the Anxi Protectorate."
"At the Anxi Protectorate, there are 150,000 troops stationed there, plus 260,000 troops transferred from the imperial court, totaling over 400,000 soldiers, fighting against the 500,000-strong Abbasid Caliphate expeditionary force entrenched in the Western Regions;"
After a pause, Li Jingyu forced a smile and said, "Your Majesty, this is the last of the troops the Ministry of War can muster without affecting the preparations and duties in various regions."
"As for the selection of the General of the Western Expedition, the Ministry of War has initially proposed two candidates: Duke Chang Yuchun of Wei and Duke Pang Xianchu of Jin. We request Your Majesty to make the final decision!"
After listening to the report from Li Jingyu, the Minister of War, the Duke of Wei, Chang Yuchun, and the Duke of Jin, Pang Xianchu, exchanged a glance in the court, and then stood up at the same time to bow to Chen Huai'an on the dragon throne.
Then, they said in unison, "Your subject Chang Yuchun (Pang Xianchu) is willing to serve as the Grand General of the Western Expedition of the Tang Dynasty, leading a large army to march into the Western Regions, drive out foreign enemies, and restore the prosperity of the Silk Road in the Western Regions;"
Um!
On the dragon throne, Chen Huai'an nodded, then waved his hand to signal Chang Yuchun and Pang Xianchu to rise first.
Chen Huai'an asked, "My dear ministers, what are your thoughts on the Abbasid Caliphate's eastern expedition?"
"Your Majesty—"
At this moment, Jiang Xiao, the Minister of Revenue, also stepped forward and reported to Chen Huai'an: "After receiving the notification from the Ministry of War, the Ministry of Revenue immediately began preparations for raising provisions and supplies for the army's western expedition."
"To date, the Ministry of Revenue has raised a total of six million taels of silver, which can be disbursed before the western expeditionary army sets off. Subsequent salaries and provisions are also being raised."
Seeing this, Minister of Works Hu Zhijun hurriedly stepped forward to express his opinion, saying, "Your Majesty—"
"Currently, the Ministry of Works' Firearms Bureau is producing 1,200 red-coated cannons and 12,000 three-eyed muskets. These firearms were originally intended to be transported by sea to Goguryeo to equip the Tang army there."
"However, given the current critical situation in the Western Regions, I believe these firearms should be prioritized for deployment to the western expeditionary force."
After thinking for a moment, Hu Zhijun added, "I have heard that the Abbasid army that marched eastward to conquer the Tang Dynasty included Persian war elephant units. These elephants, with their size advantage, caused considerable trouble for our Tang soldiers stationed in the Western Regions."
"The red-coated cannons produced by this arsenal possess a long-range firepower advantage that can naturally deter the enemy's war elephant units. We humbly request Your Majesty's decision."
"Your Majesty..."
Next, the civil and military officials in the court offered their advice and suggestions, providing a comprehensive analysis of the Tang Dynasty's expedition to the Western Regions, from the strategic level to the specific logistical support.
Although the opinions raised by the civil and military officials in the court were all true and met the needs of the army's westward expedition;
However, Emperor Zhaowu, Chen Huai'an, did not listen to a word of it.
What a joke! For Chen Huai'an, who possesses the "Born to be an Emperor" system, marching and fighting are the simplest things for him, and he doesn't need to think about so much.
In particular, after Chen Huai'an unified the world, the system had given him unlimited troop production privileges. If he wanted, he could summon enough soldiers to fill the entire Earth.
Of course, Chen Huai'an couldn't possibly summon so many soldiers all at once; he couldn't afford to support them!
With the end of the nationwide war and the stagnation of the Goguryeo campaign, Chen Huai'an's points in the system, which he used to exchange for military supplies such as grain, weapons, and warhorses, also came to a standstill.
With his current system points, he can only summon a maximum of 300,000 troops. Any more than that, and they will all be in a blank state, and there won't be enough food to supply them.
However, this was not a problem for Chen Huai'an at all.
As long as he personally leads the army, as long as there are battles to fight and cities to conquer, he can continuously draw upon the "Born to be an Emperor" system to demand manpower and supplies.
Let alone a mere 500,000-strong Arab army on its eastward expedition, Chen Huai'an wouldn't even blink an eye at 5 million.
He is currently considering two main issues;
First, how to persuade the entire court to personally lead the expedition?
Secondly, how to persuade the entire court to move the capital north?
Indeed, at this time, Emperor Zhaowu Chen Huai'an was already considering moving the capital.
Perhaps, without the Arab Empire's eastward expedition and the renewed warfare along the Silk Road in the Western Regions, Chen Huai'an would have postponed mentioning the relocation of the capital for another three to five years.
However, the Battle of Talas made Chen Huai'an realize that the external threats to the Tang Dynasty now mainly came from the area north of the Gobi Desert and west of the Western Regions.
If the capital were to remain in Nanjing, it would greatly weaken the court's influence and control over the Western Regions and the northern deserts, significantly increase the time cost of military intelligence exchanges between the border regions and the court, as well as the manpower and material costs of troop deployment.
Take the Battle of Talas as an example. If the capital of the Tang Dynasty had been in Chang'an or Longcheng, the fiefdom of the Prince of Jin, the commuting time for messengers between the Anxi Protectorate and the imperial court would have been halved.
In other words, if Emperor Zhaowu Chen Huai'an, who was in Jinling City at that time, were still discussing strategies for defending against the enemy with his civil and military officials in the court, the reinforcements to aid the Anxi Protectorate would probably have already crossed the Yumen Pass by now.
Therefore, the Battle of Talas served as a wake-up call for Chen Huai'an—moving the capital northward was now an urgent matter.
As for Emperor Zhaowu Chen Huai'an's reason for wanting to personally lead the expedition, it's even simpler.
He only needs a single elite force (or even just one man on horseback) to venture into the Western Regions, and he can summon a large army through the [Born to be an Emperor] system to fight against the invading Arab Empire's eastward expeditionary army;
In terms of both mobility and time, it is far more flexible than the Ministry of War's proposed plan to reinforce troops in the Western Regions.
The only thing that worried Chen Huai'an was that the Tang Dynasty did not have a cabinet at present. The six ministers reported directly to the emperor, and neither Empress Liu Shujun nor Imperial Noble Consort Yue Qiluo had been able to give birth to a prince for him.
In other words, the Tang Dynasty at present has neither a cabinet prime minister to assist the emperor in governing the country, nor a crown prince. If the emperor were to encounter any accident during his personal military campaign, the entire Tang Dynasty would fall into a chaotic situation of being leaderless.
Of course, only Chen Huai'an knew in his heart that there was no way anything could happen when he personally led the expedition.
But none of the officials in the court knew this!
If Chen Huai'an insists on personally leading the expedition, he will definitely be opposed by the entire court, and he might even have to bring out Empress Dowager Xu Ruoyun to advise him.
In particular, the Tang Dynasty is currently facing its first "Tea Horse Case" since its founding, which has yet to be resolved. No one knows how many corrupt officials are still in the court, and no one knows whether these parasites will take advantage of the emperor's personal expedition to disrupt the government.
All these kinds of problems will be obstacles to Emperor Zhaowu Chen Huai'an's personal expedition.
He couldn't very well tell all the officials directly, "I am the chosen one, possessing the [Born to be an Emperor] system, an immortal ruler, and you can all tell me to lead the army in person!"
I'm afraid that even if Chen Huai'an said it like that, no one would believe him. He would most likely have to bring up Empress Dowager Xu Ruoyun himself and then order the imperial physicians to prepare the Golden Juice for the Emperor (rumored to be able to cure madness by pouring excrement).
After some deliberation, Chen Huai'an finally decided to start by moving the capital and gradually discuss the matter with all the officials.
Cough cough!
On the dragon throne, Chen Huai'an coughed twice and said, "My beloved ministers, please be quiet."
Sure enough, as soon as the emperor spoke, the noisy court officials immediately fell silent, turning their gazes to Emperor Zhaowu Chen Huai'an on the dragon throne, listening attentively to the emperor's decree.
Chen Huai'an said, "I have listened to the strategies for defending against the enemy put forward by the Ministry of War, as well as the opinions and views of the various ministries. It is clear that all my beloved ministers have put in a lot of effort in reinforcing the Anxi Protectorate and quelling the rebellion in the Western Regions."
"I am deeply gratified!"
After a pause, Chen Huai'an continued, "However, before reinforcing the Anxi Protectorate, there is another important matter that I believe should also be put on the agenda simultaneously. These two matters are closely linked and interdependent."
"This matter is—moving the capital north!"
Whoosh—
These words caused an uproar in the imperial court.
All the civil and military officials looked at the emperor on the dragon throne with puzzled expressions, their questioning eyes seeming to ask, how are the reinforcement of troops to the Anxi Protectorate and the relocation of the capital to the north so closely connected and interdependent?
Furthermore, after more than thirty years of development by the previous dynasty, the Great Xin, Jinling City is now the most prosperous city in the country in terms of economy, politics, and culture. Setting the capital in Jinling City is also a way to demonstrate the majesty of the Celestial Empire to the vassal states that submit to the Great Tang. Why would the capital be moved?
As expected, Emperor Zhaowu Chen Huai'an's proposal to move the capital was immediately questioned by Zhang Fu, the Minister of Rites.
Zhang Fu said, "Your Majesty, I believe that the relocation of the capital is a matter of national importance, and a single move can have far-reaching consequences. Now that our Great Tang Dynasty has just been established, is it too hasty to move the capital to the north?"
"Furthermore, Nanjing is currently the most prosperous city in the country, far surpassing all other cities in terms of population, economic development, and political culture."
"Now that war has broken out again in the Western Regions, and the eastern expedition against Goguryeo is still uncertain, furthermore, several city garrisons in the Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun have defied imperial orders. If the court were to undertake large-scale construction projects and move the capital north at this time..."
"Your Majesty, I fear that the people of the world will not be able to bear the burden of such large-scale construction projects, which may shake the foundation of our Great Tang Dynasty's rule!"
As he spoke, Zhang Fu, the Minister of Rites, knelt down in the court and pleaded with Emperor Zhaowu Chen Huai'an on the dragon throne: "Your Majesty, I humbly request that you rescind your decree!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com