Tang Dynasty, my wife Wu Zetian

Chapter 462 The Four Major Legions
The Arab "Revelation Ceremony" was held inside the largest mosque in Damascus.

This mosque is located in the south of the city and consists of a large cluster of minarets, facing the royal palace in the north of the city.

More than sixty countries participated in the Revelation Ceremony.

Gao Youdao and his companion were sent to the Western Regions to investigate the situation there, so they have been busy these past few days, exchanging ideas with envoys from most countries.

The Tang Dynasty was renowned, and envoys from various countries would greet them with great courtesy and engage in conversation upon hearing that the two were Tang envoys.

After some investigation, the two gained a general understanding of these sixty-plus countries and categorized them according to their strength.

Most of these countries were small states like the Six Zhao and Tamna, and some were even smaller than Tamna, with the entire tribe consisting of only one or two thousand people.

Half of these small countries are located in the Kunlun Mountains, where the climate is said to be extremely hot, hence the tans of the inhabitants.

The others are located west of the Byzantine Empire, where there was supposedly a Roman Empire that later split into East and West.

The Byzantine Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire, while the Western Roman Empire split into more than a dozen smaller states.

The second level of states consisted of countries similar to Baekje and Silla, numbering about ten, such as the Kingdom of Lakica, the Kingdom of Lombardy, and the Avar Khanate.

To their surprise, the Avar Khanate was actually descended from the Rouran people. They were forced to migrate westward due to the rise of the Turks and established this state in the Western Regions.

The third tier of states, which are roughly equal in strength to the Mohe and Eastern Turkic peoples, consists of three: the Frankish Kingdom, the Gothic Kingdom, and the Slavic tribal alliance.

The Slavic tribal confederation was not a single nation, but rather similar to the Mohe tribal confederation. It was powerful and had invaded the Byzantine Empire multiple times.

The highest level were the Khazars Khanate and the Byzantine Empire.

Then there were the vassal states of the Abbasid Caliphate, such as Greater and Lesser Bolu, India, and Tokharistan.

The ceremony was held in an extremely spacious square, which, in a sense, was a ceremony to showcase the doctrines of the Abbasid Caliphate to various countries.

A priest stood on a high five-tiered stone platform, holding a Quran, and chanted something aloud with a solemn expression.

The Arabs did not provide seats for the envoys from various countries; instead, the crowd stood in two rows beneath the stone platform, as if they were believers listening to a sacred message.

Due to the special status of the Tang Dynasty, Gao Youdao and Du Yijian stood at the very front.

The person standing alongside the two in the first row was neither a Khazar envoy nor a Byzantine envoy, but an Indian envoy.

This Indian envoy was none other than King Sindh, who had resisted the Arabs. He had been officially recognized by the Arabs and became the King of India, and he wore a very proud expression on his face.

This weighed heavily on Gao Youdao's mind.

Before he set off, he met with Wang Jishan, who told him about the situation in the Western Regions and about the Tang Dynasty's support for the establishment of a kingdom in India.

The new king that the Tang Dynasty was preparing to support was none other than King Xinde.

Seeing the expression on King Sindh's face, Gao Youdao couldn't help but wonder if this man might betray the Arabs.

The Byzantine and Khazar envoys stood in the second row.

The Byzantine envoy suddenly stepped forward and whispered to Gao Youdao, "Your Excellency Tang Envoy, I have heard that the Tang Dynasty has also held ceremonies to summon envoys from various countries. Is your country's ceremony the same as that of the Abbasid Caliphate?" He spoke fluent Tang language.

Upon arriving in the Western Regions, Gao Youdao realized that the Tang Dynasty's influence in the region was far greater than he had imagined.

Almost every country knew of the existence of the Tang Dynasty, and many envoys could even speak the Tang language, such as this Byzantine envoy.

Although some countries were too far away to know the name of the Tang Dynasty, they still knew that there was a powerful empire in the East.

Gao Youdao glanced at him and said, "Of course it's different. Our Great Tang is a land of etiquette, and we will treat every guest with friendliness. Our emperor will also personally host banquets to entertain envoys from various countries."

In recent days, the Byzantine envoy has frequently spoken to him, and his words have been extremely polite. Judging from the other party's tone, it seems that he thinks the strength of the Tang Dynasty is still above that of the Abbasid Caliphate.

The Byzantine envoy exclaimed, "Your country truly embodies the demeanor of a great power! Humph, it's one thing for the Arabs to make us small countries stand there, but to make you, an envoy from such a great nation, stand as punishment is utterly rude!"

Gao Youdao remained silent.

As an envoy of the Tang Dynasty to the Western Regions, his every word and action represented the Tang Dynasty. Therefore, he was very cautious when speaking, and although he was indeed dissatisfied, he would not easily show his emotions.

The Byzantine envoy then asked, "After the ceremony, may I invite you for a drink?"

Gao Youdao asked in surprise, "There's wine here?"

The Abbasid Caliphate strictly forbids drinking alcohol, so there are no restaurants in Damascus. However, tea from the Tang Dynasty is extremely popular.

The Byzantine envoy grinned and said, "Of course not here, but I have some fine wine from our Byzantine country on me, and I would like to invite the Tang envoy to taste it."

Gao Youdao smiled and said, "In that case, I would be impolite to refuse."

After standing for more than half an hour, the ceremony's recitation segment finally came to an end.

The envoys were led by the Arabs to a row of houses and allowed to enter one by one to perform the ritual of "great purification".

The Great Purification was a ritual bath, and the cleansing process was extremely strict and followed a specific order. Two maids served each person in each room. Gao Youdao, with a "what's done is done" attitude, completed the Great Purification ceremony. Afterward, everyone was led to the stone platform, where each person walked up the steps to receive the blessings of the sacrifice.

Gao Youdao finally understood.

The Arabs are constantly promoting the Arab religion.

Their devotion and fervor for religion were completely different from the Buddhists and Taoists Gao Youdao had ever met, giving one a chill down one's spine.

After the blessing ceremony, everyone was taken to the palace.

It was past noon, and Du Yijian, who had been standing all morning, was starving. He complained, "Brother Gao, this is no grand ceremony, it's just a hassle. The Arabs are so stingy, they don't even provide food."

Gao Youdao said, "Let's be patient a little longer. I think the ceremony should be over soon."

The group traveled through the palace and were soon taken to the northwest corner of the palace.

There is a tall, pointed tower here. When everyone climbs to the top of the tower, they feel a sense of joy.

The tower has seven floors and offers a wide view; looking south, you can see the entire city of Damascus.

Everyone was taken to the sixth floor, to the outer corridor of the tower. Looking north, they saw an open space with a distant oasis in sight.

Just then, someone whispered, "Look, an army is coming."

From the northwest, dust filled the sky, and sure enough, an army was approaching in formation.

It turns out that the final part of the Arab Cult's ceremony was to invite envoys from various countries to inspect the troops!
Gao Youdao's spirits lifted, and he looked carefully at the Arab army.

At a glance, the army numbered about five thousand, arranged in five square formations forming a cross shape, with each formation carrying a golden lion flag.

The first formation was cavalry, and the four formations behind it were infantry. The ranks were neat, the soldiers were dressed in bright clothes and armor, and their imposing presence was impressive.

The Byzantine envoy, who had appeared at some point, came to Gao Youdao's side again, squinting his eyes and saying, "Your Excellency, do you know the details of that army?"

Gao Youdao glanced at him sideways and said, "That's exactly what I wanted to ask you."

The Byzantine envoy said, "That is the Holy Lion Legion, one of the four elite legions of the Abbasid Caliphate. It has a total of 50,000 men and is composed of the most fanatical Abbasid believers. Under Ali's leadership, this legion expanded westward and fought dozens of battles, large and small, without ever suffering a defeat!"

As Gao Youdao watched the legion approaching below, he could vaguely make out the expressions on the soldiers' faces. Each face was full of sharpness. He slowly said, "Indeed extraordinary."

The Arabs clearly wanted to demonstrate their military strength to other countries and intimidate them. Then, another legion approached from a distance.

This legion flies the Grey Deer banner and has a more diverse range of soldiers compared to the Holy Master Legion from before.

It also consists of five formations: cavalry, swordsmen, archers, spearmen, and shieldmen.

According to the Byzantine envoy, this legion was called the Sacred Deer Legion, and it was formed by the Arabs from among the most elite slaves they had captured from various countries.

Although the Holy Deer Legion is not as powerful as the Holy Lion Legion, they have a great advantage: they can adapt to various battlefields.

The leader of this legion was Suoman, the former greatest general of Persia. He was skilled in training troops, and it was under his leadership that this legion joined the ranks of the Holy Legions!

The Byzantine envoy said, "The Holy Deer Legion was in charge of the eastern front. It is said that they were undefeated at the beginning, and they conquered Tokharistan and the kingdoms of Greater and Lesser Bolu. However, they later suffered a defeat. Do you know who they lost to?"

Gao Youdao shook his head and said, "I don't know."

The Byzantine envoy laughed and said, "It was precisely your country that defeated us!"

Gao Youdao's heart skipped a beat, and he said, "Could it be that the Abbasid army that was stationed in Gar City of Tibet back then was this Sacred Deer Legion?"

The Byzantine envoy laughed and said, "That's right. It's said that he was defeated by a general from your country named Su Dingfang. When this news reached the Western Regions, it caused quite a stir!"

Gao Youdao thought to himself, "I never imagined that General Su's reputation had spread all the way to the Western Regions."

The third Arab army to emerge was a legion carrying shield banners. The entire legion was clad in armor, resembling a colossal steel beast that inspired fear in all who beheld it.

The Byzantine envoy said in a deep voice, "This is the Holy Shield Legion of the Arabs, also known as the 'Black Ant Army.' They are in charge of the western front and once attacked our capital. Our country was almost destroyed by this army."

Gao Youdao nodded, thinking to himself, "The Arabs are indeed extraordinary to dominate the Western Regions. With just these three legions, they are enough to become a formidable enemy of our Great Tang."

After waiting for a while, the fourth Holy Legion did not appear. A Arab came and informed them that the ceremony was over and everyone could return to their lodgings.

Gao Youdao was greatly surprised. On his way back to the inn, he asked the Byzantine envoy, "Why didn't the last holy legion of the Arabs appear?"

The Byzantine envoy's expression turned extremely grave.

"The last Holy Legion was the strongest army of the Arabs, called the Holy Sword Legion, which consisted of 50,000 cavalry. When our capital was besieged, we sought help from the Khazars Khanate. The Khazars Khan personally led more than 100,000 cavalry to attack the Arabs, but they were defeated by this legion!"

Upon hearing that they were cavalry, Gao Youdao was no longer so worried.

The Tang Dynasty's strongest asset was its cavalry, and its cavalry tactics were unmatched by the barbarians. In cavalry battles, the Tang army would never fear the Abbasid Caliphate.

(End of this chapter)