Tang Dynasty: Father, if you don't rebel, I will!

The Kingdom of Chalukya was a Hindu kingdom.

Unlike Indian Buddhism, which both originated in this land and emphasize the concepts of karma, retribution, and reincarnation, Hinduism itself is a polytheistic religion.

The palace in the Kingdom of Chalukya in Mumba, though certainly not as grand as the royal palace in the capital Vattapi, is no less distinct in its Hindu characteristics.

Throughout this palace, you can see reliefs and statues modeled after the major Hindu deities Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva.

As night deepened, the banquet ended.

Prince Li Ke of Han was personally led to the palace to rest by the third prince of the Zhelouqi Kingdom, Simis. Meanwhile, King Purokashyapa II stood solemnly atop a high tower, gazing at the distant harbor, where a massive black shadow appeared and disappeared in the glow of the harbor's firelight.

"We didn't even have a chance to escape this catastrophe; it was like a flood that fell from the sky..."

Pukrasaksa II looked solemn and muttered to himself.

"Your Majesty, the good news is that this flood is not solely targeting us. King Harsha has already suffered, and now his kingdom, which has been seized, is being ravaged and ravaged by the Tibetans of the highlands, and he is powerless to resist."

"And we... at least we haven't suffered any direct losses yet."

Behind him, an old man dressed in Hindu robes spoke in a hoarse voice. Pukrasah II turned to look at him, but the latter pointed his hand in the southeast direction.

“Your Majesty, the Tang people said that they sailed directly to Mengba and did not stop in other countries, which means... they have not yet come into contact with the Panawa people.”

The old man's words caused a strange glint to flash in the eyes of Buluojishe II.

After a long silence, he looked in the southeast direction that the other person had pointed to.

Over there, there also existed one of their great mortal enemies, the Kingdom of Panawa.

If the Harsha Dynasty occupied the north of this peninsula, then their Chalukya Kingdom occupied the southwest, and Panawa was the powerful state in the southeast.

Most of the land in the present-day Chalukya Kingdom was seized from the Panava people by its founding king, Puroksha I.

The people of Zhelouqi and Panawa are sworn enemies!

"That leader of the Gulaishi tribe was able to reclaim everything he had lost with the help of the Tang Dynasty, so why can't we? Your Majesty... no matter what, you are now more worthy of the Tang monarch's court than that Sufuyang, aren't you?"

Purojisa II remained silent.

That night, the winds blowing from the Indian subcontinent towards the southeast seemed to carry a chill more profound than usual over the Yalakir Mountains...

"Rumble rumble rumble..."

The sound of a large army galloping across the water echoed along the banks of the middle reaches of the Euphrates River.

On the opposite bank of the river, in the border town of Kufa, which was closer to Sassanid Persia.

The alarm bells rang immediately.

At that moment, even the Muslim soldiers who were engrossed in studying the Quran quickly picked up their swords, put on their helmets, and rushed towards the top of the city wall.

"What happened? Has the Sassanid Persians attacked again?!"

The garrison commander also rushed up the city wall. Before anyone around him could answer, he saw the huge cavalry legion crossing the river.

His pupils contracted and trembled, and a layer of cold sweat of fear instantly broke out on his forehead.

"God...where did these damned bastards come from?!"

Looking out, they saw tens of thousands of soldiers on the opposite bank, dressed like Turks, brazenly crossing the river right under their noses.

"Who are they? Who are they? These guys can't possibly be the subordinates of that good-for-nothing Izmir II. They can't possibly have such a fierce army."

The general shouted and asked his adjutant beside him.

But all I saw was a blank look on the other person's face.

Just as he was about to grit his teeth and draw his long sword from his waist, ready to ignore everything else and start fighting on the spot, a weak voice suddenly came from a soldier on one side of the city wall.

"General Mabilali, that, that looks like the banner of the Tang Dynasty, doesn't it?"

Upon hearing this, the general hurriedly searched among the dense cavalry and the incomprehensible flags, and sure enough, he spotted the Great Tang Star and Sun and Moon Flag among them.

"General...should we attack them?"

Mabilali looked conflicted. Should they declare war on the Tang Dynasty?

The above are strict requirements: merchants of the Tang Dynasty must not be made difficult, and friction with the Tang Dynasty should be avoided as much as possible.

But... these aren't cavalry!

If this force were to enter Arabia, it would be an absolute disaster.

"Attack! Archers! All of you, come up and attack!"

"Mount your cavalry and march out of the city to intercept them!"

As soon as the general gave the order, archers appeared on the city wall. However, Yelü Damu, the general of the Pishi army, stood opposite him and sneered.

A wave of his hand.

"Woo!!!"

The heavy, powerful sound of horns echoed across the Euphrates River at that moment.

A series of sickeningly sharp sounds of taut bowstrings rang out, followed by...

"Whoosh whoosh whoosh..."

A dense whistling sound followed by a dark mass of crossbow bolts came from the riverbank. Wave after wave of arrows forced the Arab defenders of Kufa, who hadn't even had a chance to show their faces, to retreat back into their folds.

One by one, the strong warhorses had successfully crossed the river.

"Rush over!"

The savage order to attack, accompanied by the sound of horns, reached the ears of the elite cavalry of the Pishi army who had successfully crossed the river on the other side. Then, just as Mabilali opened the city gate and was about to lead the defending cavalry out to fight, he was met with a large group of fierce eyes.

And the curved swords that were drawn from their sheaths in the other party's hands.

"Yelü Lulu..."

He pulled the warhorse sharply, stopping its momentum.

Pi Shijun's crossing speed exceeded his expectations, leaving him in a dilemma.

At that moment, a figure on horseback emerged from the group of unfamiliar Tang soldiers; it was a Sassanid Persian.

"Mabilali, are you going to war with the Great Tang Heavenly Army?!"

The man had a smug, petty look on his face. He was an acquaintance of Mabilali's, and they had fought each other several times on the battlefield, with neither side gaining the upper hand.

The veins on his forehead throbbed, and the veins on the back of his hands, which gripped the scimitar and reins, also trembled.

“This General Yelü was sent to Arabia by His Highness the Crown Prince of the Great Tang to protect the Great Tang caravan. Your actions just now were a provocation against the Great Tang and a declaration of war against the Great Tang!”

Mabilali narrowly avoided spitting out a mouthful of blood.

Shameless!

Even Allah would not forgive such a shameless person!

They protect the Tang Dynasty caravans, yet they send a large army into our territory?

"This is land blessed by Allah. No foreign country, not even the Tang Dynasty's army, can enter... Our Prophet Muhammad has promised to protect your caravans, and we have given them sufficient protection."

“General, I have not heard of any Tang Dynasty caravans suffering misfortune on land blessed by Allah.”

"You are the ones who are truly being rude and provocative. Please go back!"

His attitude was firm.

However, Yelü Damu gave a cold smile after crossing the river.

The Khitan's somewhat villainous appearance, with just a smile, made the Arab garrison of Kufa opposite him feel as if they were facing a formidable enemy.

"We don't care about any true or false gods. We are ordered by His Highness the Holy Crown Prince of the Great Tang Dynasty to be stationed in Mecca to protect the interests of the people and merchants of the Great Tang Dynasty. Not a single member of the Pishi Army will disobey military orders!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he suddenly drew his curved sword.

"Move out! Anyone who dares to obstruct us... kill!"

Mabilali's expression changed drastically in an instant. Before he could even vent his anger at being called a "false God" to his face, the oncoming Pishi army's charge forced him to hastily order the city gates to be closed.

The army bypassed the city of Kufa and marched south along the Euphrates River.

Looking in the direction where the Great Tang Dynasty's Starry Sky and Sun and Moon Banner had departed, Mabilali dared not delay and immediately gave orders.

"Quickly! Release carrier pigeons! Alert the surrounding cities!"

"Messenger, prepare camels and provisions immediately, and deliver a message to the Prophet!"

The fluttering sound of carrier pigeons quickly echoed over Kufa City. Watching the pigeons circle for a moment before flying off in one direction, Mabilali, the city's garrison commander, looked grave.

The Tang Dynasty actually dispatched troops themselves, and that guy even said he would station troops in their holy city of Mecca...

This is an utter disgrace that believers in God cannot tolerate!

Basra.

As another important city in the border region between Sassanid Persia and Arabia, Basra is also located at the confluence of the Euphrates and Tigris rivers.

If Mumbai was an important port on the west coast of the Kingdom of Chalukya on the Indian peninsula, then Basra is undoubtedly an important port for the Arabs in the Persian Gulf today.

It is of great importance in economic, geographical and military aspects.

The carrier pigeons flew very fast. Before Yelü Damu could even rest after leading his army to the riverbank outside Basra, they keenly sensed the familiar tremors on the ground caused by the movement of cavalry.

"Ha... They've finally arrived. Prepare for battle!"

Yelü Damu's face was full of a savage expression like that of a wolf.

The 10,000 Pishi soldiers were all elite troops who were extremely skilled at fighting high-intensity, hard-fought battles.

At that moment, just a short distance away on that grassy slope, I could see a cluster of Arab military flags peeking out.

They instantly pulled out the standard repeating crossbow of the Tang Dynasty from the side of the saddle.

"咻咻咻......"

The crossbows used were different from the arrows used in their more proficient horn bows.

These cavalrymen were used without any worries.

Amidst a sharp whistling and buzzing sound, a fierce battle erupted in the blink of an eye.

"My lads! Charge them!"

Yelü Damu, wielding a scimitar, charged ahead, followed by ten thousand elite Pishi soldiers who resembled a pack of aggressive wolves—fierce, yet not blindly reckless.

In the blink of an eye, the deputy general led his troops to spread out to the left and right flanks.