"Oh, Uncle, why did you come?" Gunbu Yiledeng had a deep affection for his Uncle Mergen Temuna since childhood, and seeing it was him, he was overjoyed.
"It's a long story!"
Mergen Temuna sighed deeply, "At first, I was indignant that Baibagas, as the Weilate Khan, actually encroached upon my Elder Brother's inheritance. Out of righteousness, I sent troops to support Nuoerwei Zheng Chukur. Unexpectedly, the tribal Taijis feared power and disregarded justice, instead helping Baibagas attack me. Now, having repeatedly lost battles, I am at a dead end and have specifically come to ask my virtuous nephew for military assistance."
"This..."
Gunbu Yiledeng was very hesitant. Given his friendship with Mergen Temuna, he had long wanted to send troops to help, but his father He Erleke firmly refused. If he went, he would violate his father's command; if he didn't go, he would lose face.
"To be honest, Baibagas Khan's large army is pressing down, and I am unable to resist. If my virtuous nephew does not send troops, I will surely die. I would rather commit suicide here than fall into the hands of the enemy and be humiliated," Mergen Temuna said, his face full of tears, drawing his waist knife, and about to kill himself.
"Oh, this won't do," Gunbu Yiledeng hurriedly snatched Mergen Temuna's waist knife and sighed, "I am willing to send troops to help my Uncle."
Seeing him agree, Mergen Temuna thanked him profusely.
Gunbu Yiledeng then called for his third brother Ursang and asked him to send troops together. Ursang had always listened to Gunbu Yiledeng and gladly agreed.
"Uncle, although my third brother and I are willing to send troops to help you, together we only have ten thousand soldiers, while Baibagas, as the Weilate Khan, has many soldiers and generals. This battle may not be easy," Gunbu Yiledeng said to Mergen Temuna.
"Haha, my virtuous nephew does not know, that Baibagas is arrogant and rash. Before the tribes of Tulubaihu, Khara Khula, Dalai Taishi, and Sultan arrived, he led twenty thousand soldiers deep into the Syr Darya River basin alone. Although we were defeated, we still have twenty thousand troops, plus the ten thousand elite soldiers of the two virtuous nephews, we can completely ambush them."
"Baibagas dared to go deep into the Syr Darya River basin with only twenty thousand men, truly worthy of being a hero who defeated the Khoshut Tribe!" Ursang sincerely praised.
"Haha, he's a hero, and also a reckless man," Gunbu Yiledeng curled his lip disdainfully, "Uncle, where do you plan to ambush them?"
"Kundulun Ubashi and I have discussed it. We plan to set up an ambush on the Talas River, at the old site of the Battle of Talas, and make him repeat the Tang Army's mistake of that year," Mergen Temuna said fiercely.
The boundless Khoshut army arrived at the Talas River.
More than eight hundred years ago, a bloody battle erupted here. The Tang Army under Gao Xianzhi was defeated by the army of the Black Clothed Arabs (Arabian Empire) Abbasid Dynasty. More than twenty thousand Tang Army soldiers were buried in a foreign land. This was a contest between the two great powers of the East and the West. Although the Tang Army was defeated, their tenacity and resilience in the face of an enemy six times their size, and their strong bows and powerful crossbows, greatly shocked the Black Clothed Arabs. After the war, the Abbasid Dynasty immediately sent envoys to make peace with the Tang Dynasty and stopped their expansion in the East.
Eight hundred and seventy-eight years have passed, and the Talas River still flows. That is the hero's blood that has flowed for eight hundred and seventy-eight years!
Baibagas, the Weilate Khan, who called himself a hero and was indeed a hero, led twenty thousand Khoshut warriors here. This army had followed him in campaigns in the south and north, defeating the Khalkha, Yarkand, and Kazakh tribes multiple times. The great Baibagas was always full of confidence in his subordinates. He looked at the surging water and asked his subordinates with a smile, "This is the site of the Battle of Talas? Do you know how the Tang generals Gao Xianzhi, Li Siye, Duan Xiushi, and others were defeated back then?"
This question immediately stumped the generals. Most of the Khoshut generals who accompanied him were rough and bold men. Even if they had some culture, they mostly only knew Mongolian history and were not familiar with Han history.
Only Hanak Tushetu slowly opened his mouth, "Great Khan, I heard that back then, Gao Xianzhi led thirty thousand Tang troops to besiege Talas City and encountered more than one hundred thousand Black Clothed Arabs. The two sides fought a decisive battle on the banks of the Talas River. The Tang Army was brave and skilled in battle, and relying on the strong bows and powerful crossbows of their infantry, they once suppressed the Black Clothed Arab cavalry. However, because the Black Clothed Arab army was too numerous, they fought for five days without winning. On the evening of the fifth day, the Karluk auxiliary troops, who were originally attached to the Tang Army, suddenly rebelled and surrounded the Tang infantry from behind, cutting off their connection with the cavalry. Gao Xianzhi was attacked from both sides by the Black Clothed Arabs and the Karluk tribe and was completely defeated. It was tragic! Only a few thousand of the thirty thousand Tang troops escaped back."
Baibagas gazed at his brother Hanak Tushetu with satisfaction. This brother was learned and talented, gentle and refined, had a good reputation among the tribesmen, and was also very capable, but unfortunately, he was born of a concubine and could not inherit the position of Great Khan. What was rare was that he had worked tirelessly and assisted him with all his heart over the years, never caring about fame or fortune.
"Brother is learned and knowledgeable, I admire you," Baibagas sincerely praised.
Hanak Tushetu suddenly furrowed his brows and hesitantly advised, "Great Khan, back then, the Tang Army advanced alone and was surrounded by the Black Clothed Arab army. Now our army is far from the tribe and friendly forces and has advanced deep into this area. The situation is similar to that of the Tang Army back then, and we must be vigilant. Why don't you lead the army back to Ili and wait for the State Preceptor Khan and the friendly forces from the Dzungar, Dörbet, and Huit tribes to gather before pursuing the enemy?"
"Shut up! Opportunity knocks but once! It was not easy for this Khan to scout the location of the rebels. If we do not immediately attack and annihilate them, letting the tiger return to the mountain, there will be endless troubles," Baibagas Khan roared, extremely angry. It was his decision to order the army to march immediately without waiting for friendly forces. If he gave up halfway, where would his authority be? His prestige had been severely damaged during these years of civil war, and he must not go back on his word and lose credibility because of this!
"Great Khan, please calm down, it was my lack of foresight," seeing him angry, Hanak Tushetu hurriedly pleaded guilty. This brother, in public, was very careful to maintain his younger brother's authority, and this was what Baibagas Khan appreciated most about him. He usually treated him with great respect.
Seeing his brother voluntarily admit his mistake, Baibagas Khan suddenly felt a little embarrassed. What was wrong with him? He was so irritable and easily angered, and he actually got so angry at his loyal brother! However, as a Khan, even if he knew he was wrong, he could not easily admit it, otherwise, where would the Khan's authority be?
Although he felt a little guilty, it did not show on his face. He just softened his tone and said, "Brother, you do not know, the enemy of the Tang Army back then, the Black Clothed Arabs, were a formidable enemy with hundreds of thousands of armored soldiers, while our enemies are just scattered remnants; moreover, the terrain here is flat, which is favorable for cavalry, while the Tang Army had many infantry and the terrain was unfavorable, but our army is all cavalry and the terrain is favorable; in addition, there are no forests in this area, and the visibility is wide, so even if the enemy wants to attack us, they have nowhere to hide. Therefore, I think there is no need to return, just set up camp here."
Hanak Tushetu thought carefully and felt that his brother's words were very reasonable, and said with sincere admiration, "Great Khan has great foresight, we are not as good!"
