Li Shimin faked his death? Then I will be powerful enough to conquer the world!

In the early summer of the tenth year of Tianbao, the hot wind from the west of the Pamir Mountains carried sand and gravel and blew to the border of the four towns of Anxi.

Gao Xianzhi stood on the city wall of the Qishi Kingdom, looking at the dust rising from the distant horizon, his brows twisted into a knot.

The personal guard behind him held a translated letter, the edges of the parchment wrinkled with sweat.

"Abu Muslim, the governor of Khorasan, sent 20,000 cavalrymen across the Yaosha River and occupied the Shi Kingdom."

The guard's voice was tense. "The prince of Shiguo fled to our place, saying that the Arab soldiers were burning, killing, and looting, and that 'all the lands of the East should be bathed in the glory of Allah.'"

Gao Xianzhi drew the sword from his waist, and the blade shone coldly under the scorching sun.

This Anxi Jiedushi, who was born in Goguryeo, was nearly fifty years old at this time. His face was full of wrinkles, but his eyes were still as sharp as an eagle.

He guarded the Western Regions for more than ten years. From Suiye City to the Talas River, wherever there was war, he would be there.

He had repelled the Tibetans seven times, and the small-scale attempts of the Arabs had never succeeded, but this time was different - the Black Caliphate (Abbasid Dynasty) had just replaced the Umayyad Dynasty, and was at the time of the strongest expansion momentum.

"Call the allies from Karluk and Bukhara."

Gao Xianzhi's voice was as steady as a mountain, "Tell them that the Arab soldiers have occupied the Stone Kingdom, and their pasture will be next.

If you want to save your cattle, sheep, and tents, follow me to Talas and fight back these turbaned men!"

Three days later, on the plains along the Talas River, the Tang army and the Arab army faced each other in battle array.

Of the 30,000 soldiers under Gao Xianzhi's command, half were Han men wearing Ming Guang armor, and the other half were Western Region allies with their hair loose and their clothes worn on the left side. The word "Tang" on their flags was intertwined with various tribal totems, fluttering in the wind.

The Arab army on the opposite side was arranged in dense square formations, with black robes and white hats stretching like waves. Catapults on camel backs were being slowly set up, and the air was filled with the mixed smell of dates and sweat.

"Shoot!" Gao Xianzhi gave the order, and the Tang army's crossbows poured out like a rainstorm, tearing open the front phalanx of the Arab army.

But the Arab soldiers quickly formed a solid wall with their shields, and with the shouts of "Allahu Akbar", the cavalry counterattacked like a tide.

The battle lasted five days and five nights.

The Tang army's Modao team advanced like a wall, cutting down the Arab cavalry.

The Arab camel soldiers used their mobility to continuously harass the Tang army's flanks.

On the evening of the fifth day, just as Gao Xianzhi was about to lead his elite troops to launch a general attack, he suddenly heard a commotion behind him - the allied forces of the Qarluk tribe turned against their side and broke through the Tang army's formation from the side and rear.

"Traitor!" Gao Xianzhi's eyes were bloodshot. He swung his sword and killed two Qarluk cavalrymen who rushed over, but he could not stop the landslide-like defeat.

He watched the soldiers around him fall one by one, and watched the flags of the Arab soldiers fly over the Tang army's camp. In the end, he could only break out westward along the Talas River with thousands of remaining soldiers.

While camping in the wilderness at night, Gao Xianzhi sat by the campfire and counted the remaining troops.

Lieutenant General Li Siye clutched his broken arm and said hoarsely, "General, we've lost... Should we retreat to Anxi?"

Gao Xianzhi shook his head and looked towards the starry sky in the west: "Losing once is nothing."

"Although the Arab army was victorious, they also suffered heavy casualties and will not be able to reach Anxi in a short time."

"I've sent people back to Chang'an to ask for help. Once the court sends more troops, I'll drive them back to Baghdad!"

He used his knife to draw a line in the sand, extending from Talas to the far west. "This Western Region is the territory of our Great Tang. How can we allow pagan barbarians to run rampant?"

For the next four years, Gao Xianzhi endured hardships in Anxi.

He repaired the city defenses, trained new soldiers, and used silk and tea to win over the Karluk tribe that had defected, and even sent secret envoys to contact the remnants of the Persian forces that were hostile to the Arabs.

By the autumn of the 14th year of Tianbao, the Tang army in Anxi had recovered to 50,000 people, with food, fodder and armor piled up like mountains. They were just waiting for the order from Chang'an to march westward to avenge the humiliation of Talas.

Early that morning, Gao Xianzhi was reviewing the new recruits in the parade ground of Shule City. A postman who had come on horseback from Chang'an suddenly broke through the guards' obstruction, stumbled and knelt in front of him, and handed him a blood-stained newspaper.

"General! Chang'an... something's happened in Chang'an!" The postman's voice was trembling. "An Lushan has rebelled! The rebels are heading towards Chang'an! His Majesty has issued an order, ordering you to immediately lead the elite troops of Anxi back to support and defend the capital!"

Gao Xianzhi's newspaper fell to the ground with a thud. The three words "An Lushan Rebellion" on it stung his eyes, causing pain. He was stunned for a moment, then suddenly grabbed the postman by the collar: "What did you say? An Lushan? That fat guy who dances the Huxuan dance? He dares to rebel?"

"It's true!" cried the postman.

"Tongguan is about to be broken! Chang'an is in chaos. His Majesty is so anxious that he summons ministers every day, saying that only you, General, can save him!"

When the soldiers on the parade ground heard the news, they were immediately in an uproar.

An old soldier murmured, "We fought so hard in the Western Regions, but our family rebelled?"

Some leaders of the Western Regions allied forces looked hesitant - they followed Gao Xianzhi to fight against the Arabs in order to protect their pastures. Now they had to go to distant Chang'an to quell the rebellion. Was it worth it?

Gao Xianzhi took a deep breath, suddenly drew his sword, and pointed it towards the east: "Soldiers! An Lushan is a traitor to our country. He occupied Luoyang and besieged Chang'an. He wants to destroy our Tang Dynasty!"

"When we defend the Western Regions, we are defending the land of the Tang Dynasty. When we return to Chang'an, we are defending the roots of the Tang Dynasty!"

He looked at the leaders of the Western Region Allied Forces and said, "If any of you don't want to go, I won't force you."

"But I, Gao Xianzhi, am a Tang Dynasty person in life and a Tang Dynasty ghost in death. I must return to Chang'an!"

The leader of the Qarluk tribe suddenly dismounted and knelt on one knee: "Wherever the general goes, we will go! The Tang Dynasty has treated us well, how can we stand by and watch these rebels cause chaos?"

Seeing this, the other tribal leaders also knelt down one after another. The parade grounds resounded with earth-shaking shouts: "Return to Chang'an for support! Kill the rebels!"

Gao Xianzhi looked towards the west and sighed helplessly in his heart.

March west! March west!

The Western Expedition is just around the corner, but...

Three days later, the gates of Shule City were opened, and Gao Xianzhi personally led 30,000 elite troops on the journey back east.

This army, which had been preparing to march westward to attack the Arabs, now turned its horses around and galloped towards Chang'an, thousands of miles away.

They crossed the desert and crossed the snow-capped mountains. The post stations along the way were already deserted, and they could only rely on the dry food they brought with them to fill their stomachs.

Some soldiers froze to death while crossing the Pamir Mountains, so Gao Xianzhi had their bodies wrapped in felt blankets and tied to horses - he wanted to take these brothers back to Chang'an.

When they reached the Hexi Corridor, they encountered refugees fleeing from Chang'an.

A ragged old man grabbed Gao Xianzhi's horse and cried, "General, hurry up! An Lushan's troops have reached Luoyang."

Gao Xianzhi's heart sank suddenly.

He reined in his horse and looked up at the eastern sky, where he seemed to still be able to see the beacon fires of Luoyang.

He recalled the first time he went to Chang'an with his father when he was young, and saw the hustle and bustle of Zhuque Street and the golden roof of the Daming Palace shining in the sun.

At that time, he swore to protect every inch of land for this dynasty, but now...

"Keep moving forward!" Gao Xianzhi's voice was a little hoarse, but extremely firm. "Chang'an is still here! Even if there is only one soldier left, I will drive the rebels out!"

The army continued to advance eastward, but there was more silence in the ranks.

The soldiers no longer talked about how to march west to attack the Arabs, but began to miss the Hubing in Chang'an and their wives and children in Anxi.

Gao Xianzhi would occasionally stand on a high place and look towards the west - there were his unfinished achievements and the blood feud on the banks of the Talas River, but now, he could only put all these aside temporarily.

When the army arrived at Tongguan, An Lushan's rebels were storming the city walls.

Gao Xianzhi looked at the tattered Tang flag on the city wall and suddenly burst into laughter: "Brothers, we have arrived! Let these rebels see the power of the Anxi Army!"

He drew his sword and was the first to charge into the rebel camp. Behind him, 30,000 Anxi warriors shouted in unison, like a torrent of steel, crashing into An Lushan's rebel army.

In the sunlight, their armor reflected a dazzling light, in which there was a nostalgia for the Western Regions, a loyalty to Chang'an, and even a general's unfulfilled dream of a western expedition - but at this moment, protecting the land under their feet was more important than conquering distant foreign lands.

The Black Caliphs west of the Pamir Mountains may never know that they once had the opportunity to drink from the Amu Darya River, but because of a rebellion in the far east, they escaped the revenge from the Tang Dynasty.