Tang Dynasty, my wife Wu Zetian

Chapter 486 The Tang Army Chasing After Him

Night had fallen, and a cold wind was blowing.

Zeppelin was a light sleeper in his tent, his armor and weapons at his side. He vaguely heard whispers coming from outside the tent, and suddenly sat up and grabbed his scimitar.

Just then, a trusted aide entered the tent and, seeing that he had already stood up, hurriedly said, "Governor, several generals are requesting an audience outside the tent."

"Let them in," Zeppelin said in a deep voice. He was not only the commander of the Holy Shield Legion, but also the governor of the Abbasid Caliphate in Egypt.

Soon after, several generals entered and greeted Zeppelin.

One of them said, "Governor, we have just received news that the Tang cavalry have built a pontoon bridge overnight, crossed the Baba River, and are chasing after us."

Zeppelin squinted and said, "They're really chasing us fast!"

“Governor, they only have 20,000 cavalry, while we have 30,000. Why not turn around and fight them instead of fleeing?” a towering general said in a booming voice.

Zeppelin gave him a cold look and said, "Do you know why Bai Tu and Karen were defeated?"

The Iron Tower general was taken aback and shook his head.

Zeppelin said in a deep voice, "It's because they think war is about numbers and underestimate the enemy that they realize that factors such as soldier quality, environment, weaponry, and morale are the key to determining the outcome of a war."

Another general, whose beard was as straight as steel needles, said, "Governor, do you think we can't defeat the Tang cavalry right now?"

Zeppelin said slowly, "The Tang people are skilled cavalrymen, even the Turks are no match for them. Since their infantry can defeat the Lion and Holy Shield legions, their cavalry will only be stronger."

"I know you are all proud and arrogant, but from now on, you must understand this: the Tang cavalry is stronger than us, and if you want to defeat them, you must fight to the death!"

The Iron Tower commander shouted, "Then let's fight them to the death! With God's protection, we will never lose!"

Zeppelin said, "No, our operation plan was originally to launch a long-distance raid and catch the Tangs off guard. Now that the plan has failed, we should retreat immediately."

A more rational general said, "That's right, we have too little food and cannot afford to get entangled with the Tang army for too long."

General Hu said angrily, "It's all the fault of those useless Lion Legion soldiers. They couldn't even hold out for a month, making us go around in circles for nothing!"

Zeppelin said, "No, the problem this time is not with Bai Tu, but with Karen."

Steel Needle asked, "General Karen? He didn't lose to the Tang army, did he?"

Zeppelin said, "I don't have time to explain now. Pass down the order to immediately regroup and retreat westward. We cannot be caught by the Tang army!"

All the generals agreed in unison.

Zeprin managed to reach the northern part of the Kingdom of Tashkent by detouring through the territory of the Khazars Khanate.

He feared that the Khazars would block his way back, so he left 20,000 cavalrymen to meet him.

The Arab cavalry were chased all the way by the Tang army. Although the Tang army was fast in pursuit, the Arabs were just as fast in escape. The Tang army could not catch up and had to give up.

The Arab cavalry continued their westward retreat, crossing the Attila River (Volga River) before finally returning to the territory of the Khazar Khanate. There, they joined up with the remaining cavalry and then headed south back into Arab territory.

Upon entering the border fortress of the Abbasid Caliphate, they encountered a messenger who relayed the Caliph's order for Zeprin to immediately return to the Holy City.

Zeppelin, accompanied by a dozen or so personal guards, rode lightly and quickly returned to Damascus, heading towards the royal palace.

Along the way, he heard many people cursing Bai Tu.

Just a few months ago, Bai Tu was a hero of the Abbasid Caliphate, but now he has become a sinner, which makes Zepplin sigh with regret.

Upon entering the palace and arriving at the council hall, Zepplin immediately spotted Karen, who had already returned.

There were two other people in the room: Omar, the leader of the Saints' Army, and Ibn, the leader of the Holy Deer Legion.

Upon seeing him, Ibn made a prayer gesture and said joyfully, "Governor Zeprin, you have finally returned safely. The Caliph asks you every day whether you have brought the army back."

Zeppelin walked to a chair and sat down, saying in a deep voice, "Luckily I retreated quickly, otherwise I would have been caught up by the Tang cavalry."

Ibn laughed and said, "That's good. As long as your cavalry legion is still intact, the losses won't be too great."

Zeppelin looked at Karen and said coldly, "General Karen, shouldn't you give everyone an explanation?"

Karen retorted, "It was Bai Tu who was defeated, not me. There was nothing I could do but annihilate the 30,000 Tang troops blocking our way in the Banda Gorge. If Bai Tu hadn't been incompetent and been wiped out by the Tang army, which led to their reinforcements, I could have destroyed the 30,000 Tang troops in the Banda Gorge!"

Just then, a furious roar came from the doorway.

"You're talking nonsense! The 30,000 Tang soldiers you fought were just a weak coalition of nine kingdoms in the Western Regions, while I was fighting against 70,000 elite Tang soldiers!"

Everyone looked towards the doorway.

Muaviyeh had entered the house at some point, accompanied by a person covered in wounds and wrapped in white bandages, like a mummy. Who else could it be but Bai Tu?

Karen's expression changed. "You're still alive?"

Bai Tu, leaning on his cane, walked over step by step, glaring at him, and said, "I risked my life to expose your lies and let His Majesty the Caliph know the truth!"

Ironstone Fortress is a mountain fortress with cliffs behind it, accessible only by a single vine ladder.

When the Tang army stormed Tieshibao, Bai Tu originally wanted to fight to the death for his country, but on his deathbed, he suddenly thought of Suoman's fate.

Suoman had not wronged the country, but because he was captured by the Tang army and could not defend himself, all the blame was ultimately placed on him.

If he were to die like this, Karen would surely pin all the blame on him. It would be a small matter if his reputation was damaged, but he couldn't let it affect his father Amur's reputation.

Therefore, Bai Tu did not fight to the death with his soldiers, but escaped through the rattan ladder.

Before they could even reach the bottom, Tang soldiers stormed the back of the mountain. Seeing the vine ladder, they cut it down, and Bai Tu fell. Fortunately, he was caught by a tree branch and survived. Despite his severe injuries, he returned to Damascus to recount the details of the battle to Mu'awiyah and protect his father's reputation.

Karen panicked when she heard Bai Tu's accusations.

During the battle, he was indeed unaware of the true strength or weakness of the Tang army that was blocking his way.

However, after the battle, a follower of the Kangguo sect learned that he was facing a coalition of nine countries, including Kangguo, but was trained and commanded by Tang generals.

Karen immediately sensed something was wrong and knew that she would be punished if the matter became known. She immediately ordered the news to be blocked and hurriedly returned to Damascus to act according to the situation.

Fortunately, the good news did not reach Damascus. Instead, he sent people to spread rumors and shift all the blame onto Baitu. Only then did the people of the city unanimously curse Baitu.

“Don’t talk nonsense! I was dealing with the Tang army, called the Zhaowu Army, personally led by the Tang governor Pei Xingjian. It was definitely not a coalition of small countries!” Karen argued loudly.

Muaviye looked at Kalen and said, "General Kalen, I have already sent people to investigate. The Zhaowu Army is composed of the allied forces of the nine kingdoms of the Western Regions. The Tang Dynasty called them the Nine Kingdoms of Zhaowu, hence the name Zhaowu Army!"

Karen's face turned deathly pale.

Bai Tu said sternly, "The Tang army has a total of 120,000 troops attacking this time, including 50,000 Zhaowu soldiers and 70,000 elite Tang soldiers. The 70,000 elite soldiers are led by Xue Rengui, the number one fierce general of the Tang Dynasty, and are attacking Tieshi Fortress. But what about you? You are being held back by 30,000 Zhaowu soldiers and have not come to my aid for a long time. You are clearly taking revenge for personal reasons and want to watch me die!"

Muaviyeh said, "Karen, do you have anything else to say?"

Karen hurriedly knelt down and said, "Your Majesty the Caliph, this is not my fault. It is the fault of the Turks and the Tocharian wolf soldiers. They only know how to protect themselves and are unwilling to fight to the death with the Tang army!"

Muaviyeh shook his head and said, "Now you're shifting the blame to your subordinates again, General Karen. You're truly disappointing."

Karen exclaimed angrily, "This time it's for real! I really didn't lie!"

Mu'awiya said, "God says: A liar is a hypocrite and will go to Hellfire, where his ears will be filled with molten lead. Karen, a hypocrite like you is no longer fit to be a legion commander."

"No, no, I wasn't lying!"

Mu'awiya waved his hand and said, "Take this sinner away and exile him to Egypt, so that he may build a stone statue for Allah to atone for his sins."

Karen was quickly dragged away.

Mu'awiya then issued another decree appointing Baitu as the commander of the Holy Shield Legion, and everyone praised Mu'awiya for his fair handling of the matter.

Zeppelin suddenly said, "Your Majesty the Caliph, although Karen's crimes have been dealt with, the threat from the Tang Dynasty remains. How should we deal with this next?"

Muaviyah sat at the head of the table, looked around, and said, "I'd like to hear your opinions."

Zeppelin said in a deep voice, "Our army has just suffered a defeat and lost the Lion Legion, while the Tang army is in high spirits. If we want to defeat them, we need to send out the Saints Army!"

Muaviyeh's eyes flickered a few times after hearing this.

The Saints' Army was his trump card, and he would never use it lightly unless absolutely necessary.

He looked at Bai Tu and said, "General Bai Tu, you have fought against the Tang army before. In your opinion, what should you do?"

Bai Tu said in a low voice, "I have been defeated by the Tang army twice and dare not speak lightly."

“God says that if you suffer harm, your enemy suffers the same harm. Do not be discouraged, but speak your mind,” Mu'awiya reassured him.

Bai Tu said, "I believe that the Tang army cannot defeat them by force. We should take advantage of the terrain of Tokharistan and fight them in mountain warfare. We should learn from the Tokharistan wolf soldiers' experience in mountain warfare, and only then will we have a chance to defeat them."

Mu'awiya remained silent for a long time, then waved his hand and said, "You may all step back. I need to consult Allah."

The group rose to take their leave, but a short while later, Ibn returned.

Muaviyah was not surprised by his return. He rubbed his temples and sighed, "Ibn, we're in trouble."

Ibn said, “Brother, I know your feelings. You don’t want to fight with the Tang Dynasty anymore.”

Muaviye glanced at him and said, "Do you think I'm afraid of the Tang Dynasty?"

“No, brother, you are not afraid of any enemy. What you are worried about is your own people,” Ibn said solemnly.

Mu'awiya nodded and said, "You understand me best. My army lost to the Tang Dynasty twice, and the elders who supported Hussein have been spreading rumors in secret, saying that I am not the rightful heir and therefore have not received Allah's protection."

Ibn said angrily, "These old bastards are just a hindrance!"

Mu'aviye said, "Now I understand. The Tang people took advantage of my lack of prestige since I just ascended the throne. I'm already losing control of the elders. If we fight the Tang people again, the country will split apart!"

Ibn said, "Then let's not fight. Anyway, the Tang people's target is Tocharian, so it won't hurt to give it to them."

Mu'awiya said in a deep voice, "If they get Tokharistan, they can attack our Abbasid homeland at any time. Tokharistan cannot be lost!"

Ibn said, "Then what should we do?"

Mu'aviye looked at him and said, "My brother, I'm afraid I'll have to trouble you to go to Chang'an again and negotiate with the Tang people."

Ibn hesitated and said, "They have just defeated us, I'm afraid it will be difficult to persuade them."

Mu'aviyah said, "What if I give India to them?"

Ibn exclaimed in surprise, "Brother, India is much bigger than Tocharian!"

Muaviye waved his hand and said, "Although the territory is large, it is a useless place. We might as well not have it."

Ibn said, "Very well, I will go to Chang'an now and exchange India for the withdrawal of the Tang army!"

"Go forth, and God will protect you on your journey!"

(End of this chapter)