readx; After nearly a hundred years of expansion, the Arab power has occupied the vast territory west of the Amu Darya River and south of the Aral Sea, and the Umayyad Dynasty once crossed the Amu Darya River, pointed to the east, and occupied the entire Sogdian region, but three years ago the Battle of Talas broke out, and the emerging Abbasid dynasty was defeated by the Tang army and was forced to retreat to the west of the Amu Darya River. Preparing to make a comeback to the river, he even wanted to march east again, all the way to the Green Ridge, to restore the pre-Talas sphere of influence. Pen, fun, pavilion www. biquge。 info

However, the Abbasids' internal strife forced them to temporarily abandon their ambitions to reclaim the East and concentrate on solving their internal problems, and as Mansour's caliphate gradually stabilized, the Abbasids' internal strife was also quelled, and at this time, the Arabs' eastern sphere of influence suffered another major setback, and their large granaries Sindh and Punjab were occupied by the Don army.

The dire situation forced Mansour to finally decide that they must fight back against the powerful threat of the Don army, and if they continued to weaken, the Tang army's power would likely cross the west of the Amu Darya River, and his empire would be in danger of collapse.

In order to fully confront the Tang Dynasty, Mansour's envoy Khalid reached a memorandum of understanding with the Romans, the Abbasids recognized the island of Cyprus as belonging to Byzantium, and the two countries withdrew their troops on the border, and with the conclusion of the armistice, the Byzantine troops withdrew northward to concentrate on dealing with the constantly provocative Bulgarians, while Mansur ordered the 100,000-strong army withdrawn from the border to the east, and appointed the Iraqi governor Haman as the eastern expeditionary army Amir, who led 100,000 troops to march to Khorezm, and ordered Ziyad of Khorasan to lead 40,000 troops to advance to the Amu Darya River, In order to attract the main forces of the Don Army to the middle reaches of the Amu Darya River.

Mulu, in the palace of the governor of Khorasan, Ziyad listened to Shahim's report with a solemn face, Shahim finally fled back to Mulu after many hardships, he and his 500 men who escaped from Nasebo were intercepted by the Tang army when crossing the river, 500 people were killed and wounded, and finally less than 100 people followed Shahim to escape the Amu Darya River.

"Can you be sure that the city-breaking weapon used by the Tang army is the fire and thunder in the Battle of Talas?"

Shahim put his hand on his chest and said with palpitations: "I can be sure that the fire and thunder they used this time were even more powerful, directly blowing down the wall of Nasebo, my Allah, the situation at that time was like a nightmare." ”

Ziyad's face turned pale, he didn't say a word, he walked to the map and looked at the river blankly, he seemed to have the most terrible scene in the battle of Talas in his mind, the Tang army ignited the Qarluq chariot that came to surrender, and exploded violently in the dense army of the Great Eclipse, tens of thousands of people were killed, that hellish scene made him unforgettable, the Tang army has such a terrible weapon, so can his army still have a chance to win? Moreover, the caliphate used the Khorasan army as a bait, which means that the Khorasan army will face the main forces of the Don army.

In this attack on Hezhong, he originally thought that the caliph would appoint him as the commander of the Eastern Expeditionary Army, but he did not expect that he appointed Khalid's younger brother Haman as the Amir of the Eastern Expeditionary Army, and the 100,000-strong army went to Khorezm, and he went to attract the main force of the Tang Army, and he suspected that the caliph had other intentions.

For some reason, Ziyad remembered Abu again. Muslims, if he loses again this time, will Mansur be like killing Abu again? And the Muslims slaughtered him?

Ziyad knew that Khorasan's army had always been a problem for al-Mansur.

Thinking of this, Ziyad sighed and said to Shahim tiredly: "You retreat!" I know. ”

"But ....."

Shahim hesitated for a moment and said, "What reward do I deserve for attacking Nasebo this time?" ”

'Bounty? Ziyad glanced at him coldly, not to mention the reward, but when he mentioned the reward, he remembered that his most elite army of three thousand troops had been wiped out, and it was already very lenient for him not to hold him accountable, and Shahim actually dared to ask for a reward.

Shahim was the first captain of Mansour's personal army, three years ago he was transferred to the Syrian army as a deputy commander, but he encountered the battle of Talas, fled back to Syria after the defeat, was dismissed by the Abbasids, and was idle at home for two years, with Mansur ascending the throne, he came back and came to Khorasan to serve, although his qualifications are not high, but because of Mansur, Ziyad took special care of him, appointed him as a general, and declared that Shahim was his favorite general, but in fact he was extremely vigilant against this person, guarding against him everywhere, This time, Qi Yade wanted to get rid of this person by the hand of the Tang Army, but he didn't expect him to escape back, which made Qi Yade feel angry for a while, and he said with a gloomy face: "Your reward is that I won't kill you, and I won't hold you accountable for the annihilation of your entire army, go!" ”

"What!" Shaheem was furious, he went through hardships, died nine times in his life, and when he got the reward, he couldn't help it anymore, slapped the table and said angrily: "Three thousand people went deep into the hinterland of the enemy army, there was no backup, there was no way to retreat, and they were strangled by tens of thousands of Tang troops, can we not be wiped out?" Although I didn't last ten days, but I held out for six days, and I also killed thousands of Don troops, isn't there a little credit, General Ziyad, you have told me personally, His Majesty the Caliph has promised that as long as I hold out for ten days, I will be named the governor of Libya, although I did not hold out in the city of Nasapor for ten days, but in the hinterland of the Tang army, I held out for eleven days, this is already considered to have completed the task, even if there is no Libyan governor, but it will not be nothing, General Ziyad, I do not accept your decision. ”

Qi Yade was unmoved, and still said coldly: "I am a soldier, and I will only talk about military merits and rewards, for a general who has been wiped out by the whole army, how can I give him a reward?" How do I give an account to the army? It's already a gift if I don't kill you, do you still have the face to be rewarded? If you are rewarded, where can there be fairness? ”

Shahim was so angry that he waved his arms and shouted, "Will you be fair?" Ibrahim lost Sindh and Punjab, and the whole army was destroyed, but you still appointed him as the vice-governor of Khorasan and did not hold him accountable, so why don't you say that it is fair? Just because you married his sister, just because I was from the Syrian army, not your faction, so you made things difficult for me everywhere and asked me to carry out the mission of nine deaths, but fortunately I had a big life and came back alive, so I let you down. ”

Shahim suddenly took a step back and stared at Ziyad, his eyes were about to erupt with fire, "I understand, in fact, the caliph didn't let me cross the Amu Darya River at all, it was you who changed the caliph's decision without authorization, asked me to attack the city of Nasebo, and let me hold out for ten days, you actually want to borrow the hand of the Tang army to get rid of me, don't you!" ”

"Presumptuous!"

Qi Yad pulled out his sword, pointed at him and said coldly: "If you dare to talk nonsense again, I will kill you immediately!" ”

At this time, Shahim suddenly calmed down, raised his hand and said, "Okay! It was my mistake, General Ziyad, I was frightened and confused by the fire and thunder of the Don army, and I beg your forgiveness. ”

Qi Yade slowly withdrew his sword, stared at him for a long time and said: "For the sake of you fleeing back to report the news, I will spare you this time, and next time you dare to be rude to me, I will cut off your head with a sword, get out!" ”

Shahim restrained the strong anger in his heart, and slowly retreated, Ziyad stared at him and left, and couldn't help but be upset for a while, he actually didn't dare to kill Shahim, this Shahim was transferred from Syria, and he couldn't even talk about the governor of a small place, the caliph actually promised him to be the governor of Libya, and he attached so much importance to him, could it be that he wanted him to replace him?

Qi Yade pondered for a moment, and immediately ordered the soldiers on the left and right, "Go and see this person, if he has any movement, report to me immediately." ”

At this time, Ibrahim hurriedly walked into the room, put his hand on his chest and saluted him: "General, why don't you kill Shahim?" This is a rare opportunity! ”

Ibrahim is the governor of Sindh who was defeated by Changqing in Punjab, he is the brother-in-law of Ziyad, it is because of this relationship that Qiyad tried his best to excuse him, and the battle report to Mansour said that the commander of the Tang army, Li Qing'an, personally led an army of 100,000 to attack Sindh, and Ibrahim's troops were too small, so he was defeated by the Tang army to cover up Ibrahim's defeat in Sindh, and now he appointed Ibrahim as the deputy governor of Khorasan and took charge of half of the army for him, it can be said that Ibrahim is his most trusted confidant.

Ziyad sighed and said, "It's not that I don't want to kill him, but I kill him, and the caliph will definitely not let me go." ”

"But if you don't kill him, does the general think the caliph will let you go?"

Ibrahim's words hit the vital point of Ziyad, who sat down weakly in his chair, holding his head, ten fingers into his hair, and said in pain: "Ibrahim, what do you say I should do now? I don't obey the order, the caliph wants to kill me, but if I obey the order to fight the main force of the Tang army and fail, the caliph wants to kill me as well, this time the caliph is obviously selfish, let the Khorasan army and the main force of the Tang army fight hard, and the final victory is left to Haman, he is simply too vicious. ”

Ibrahim is not only Ziade's henchman, but also his military advisor, who can make up ideas for him at critical times, and he has already taken countermeasures, saying: "General, in fact, there is only the old way I said. ”

Qiyad slowly raised his head and said, "You mean to let me follow the example of Muslims and keep Khorasan?" ”

Ibrahim nodded, "Actually, the Abbasid Caliph wanted to kill Abu. Muslims, but it is because the Muslims have the Khorasan army in their hands that the Abbasids have not been able to move him, and Mansur can't actually move the Muslims, but he has more means, using the general to seize power, so that the Muslims have no basis, so that he killed him, this lesson, the general must learn, without the army, you can only let Mansur slaughter. ”

Ziyad's eyes narrowed into a slit, Ibrahim was right, he was just a tool used by Mansur to kill the Muslims, not his henchmen, his henchmen were Khaled, Haman, the people of the Balmak family, Shahim, a poisonous snake lurking around him, Mansur would never let him control Khorasan, now that the Muslims are dead, old Ali is dead, it should be his turn to be the next Ziyad, at this moment Ziyad finally made up his mind, he must not be at the mercy of Mansour.

Thinking of this, he asked, "Then you say, how can I keep my Khorasan army?" ”

Ibrahim smiled sinisterly: "Actually, it's very simple, the general only needs to send troops twenty days late, so that the Tang army can see the caliphate's intentions, so that the main force of the Tang army will go north to Khorezm, and then the general will send troops to the Amu Darya River, and even secretly send someone to contact Li Qing'an and tell him that you will not cross the Amu Darya River, in this way, let Haman face the main force of the Tang army, if he wins, the general will cross the river and attack the river again, if he loses, the general can withdraw, then the caliph's strength will be greatly reduced, let alone the general, this strategy of killing two birds with one stone, What does the general think? ”

"Clever!"

Ziyad patted him on the shoulder and praised: "Very clever, but I don't need to send someone to tell Li Qing'an, he had a tacit understanding with Muslims back then, and I believe he should be very aware of my situation." ”

At this moment, there was a rush of footsteps outside, and a personal soldier rushed into the room and said, "General, Shahim is trying to escape, and we have caught him." ”

"What!" Qi Yade stood up and said angrily: "He dares to be so bold!"

Ibrahim hurriedly persuaded: "General, if you don't kill this person again, there will be endless troubles. ”

Ziyad nodded and ordered: "Behead him immediately, order the army, Shahim betrayed his subordinates and fled back alone, military law is unforgivable!" ”

Poor Shaheem was able to escape back after nine deaths, not at the hands of the Tang Army, but in the internal struggle of the Great Cannibal.

．．．．．．．．． This year's winter is particularly cold, a cold snap hit all parts of the country, Damascus has also become extremely cold, everyone is wearing thick leather clothes, echoing with the cold current, an equally cold rumor, these days in the streets and alleys of Damascus spread, Khorasan wants to read the power of the state, Khorasan Governor Ziyad is ready to proclaim himself king, openly split with the caliphate, I don't know who came out, the source can no longer be traced, but this rumor is like wings, quickly spread all over the streets and alleys of Damascus.

In the royal palace of Damascus, Khalid hurried through a palace under the leadership of two black eunuchs, until he came to the map palace, and the palace director whispered to Khalid: "Your Excellency Zivier, please do not anger His Majesty the Caliph again, he is now angry. ”

"I know, I'm going to be measured."

The director of the palace pushed open the door and let Khalid in, although it was daytime, but the curtains were lowered around the map of the map, the light was dim, Mansur stood in front of the map of the empire with his hands in his hands, the original majestic and straight body looked a little rickety, Khalid sighed secretly, he knew very well the pressure on the caliph, the original vigorous and emerging empire had become dangerous, and even in danger of falling apart, ambition, there were too many ambitious people in the empire.

"Khalid."

Mansour's voice was low, revealing a deep weariness, "I should have killed Ziyad last time. ”

Khalid knelt down on one knee, pressed his hand to his chest, and whispered in an extremely respectful tone: "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, most of the rumors in the market have hidden unsightly purposes, and in the current situation of the great enemy, it is more likely to be the enemy's divisive plan, although Ziyad is a little unruly, but I don't believe that he wants to establish himself as the king." ”

"I am the Great Caliph, and I naturally do not believe the rumors of the market, but I have received conclusive evidence, which makes me have to believe that the rumors of the market may be true, and the evidence is on the table in front of you."

Khalid then noticed a letter on his desk, and he hesitantly picked it up, the letter was from Shahim, who remembered that Shahim had once been Mansour's pro-army, a fierce and courageous young officer, who now seemed to be in Khorasan.

He looked at the contents of the letter, and couldn't help but be a little stunned, Ziyad actually sent Shahim with 3,000 men to seize the city of Nasebo, and said that it was the order of the caliph, but he clearly remembered that the order of the caliph was to order Shahim to lead 30,000 men to be stationed on the west bank of the Amu Darya River and feint to attack Nasebo, how did it become 3,000 people to attack Nasebo?

Khalid immediately realized that this was Ziyad's false order to pass on the caliphate, most likely to get rid of Shahim.

"Shahim is dead! The letter was sent by his henchmen at the risk of death. ”

Mansour's voice was a little sad, "He captured Nasebo, fulfilled the commander's orders, and fled back from Nasebo with nine deaths, but was killed by his commander on the pretext of escaping, not on the battlefield, but at the hands of his own people." ”

Khalid was worried about the abnormality, he knew Mansur very well, Mansur had no anger towards Ziyad, that means that he was already determined to kill this person, Khalid was worried that this was the case, and now seeing that the war is about to break out, it should be the time when the empire is working together to deal with the Tang Dynasty in the East, but there are extraneous branches, and there is mutual distrust and mutual suspicion between the caliph and the ministers, how can it be possible to win this war if it goes on like this.

"Your Majesty the Caliph, no matter if Qi Yad has 10,000 more reasons to kill, Your Majesty must restrain your anger at him now, Your Majesty is now fighting against the Tang Dynasty with all your might, we must not have internal strife first, and when this battle is over, the minister will definitely personally deceive Qi Yad and hand it over to His Majesty to deal with, and then the minister will definitely be the first to support the killing of Qi Yad."

Mansur slowly turned around, walked back to his seat and sat down, he pondered for a long time and said: "I have thought about this battle very delicately, and it requires the tacit cooperation of Ziyad and Haman to succeed, but now I am worried that Qiyad has selfish intentions and will not carry out my orders so seriously, Khalid, I am very worried about this battle, if we are defeated again, our eastern land will never be recovered." ”

"Then what is Your Majesty going to do?" Khalid asked in a low voice.

Mansur thought for a long time, and finally showed a firm gaze in his eyes, and said categorically: "I think that the only way now is for me to go to Khorasan to supervise the battle, and he is not allowed to have the slightest selfishness." ”

(To be continued)