Chapter 362: Ten Days in Huihe, an Isolated City (Part 2)

August 19, the first year of the Tang Dynasty, the seventh day of the Arab Empire's Eastern Expedition to the Uighurs.

The ruler of the Uighur Khanate, Yingwu Khan Moyanchuo, under the dual pressure from the outside and the court, still did not issue a royal edict to surrender to the Arab Empire.

However, the Uighur commander trapped in Meijian and Khatun, unable to withstand the pressure of the Arab Empire's strong attack, announced his departure from the rule of Yingwu Khan of the Uighur Khanate, took the initiative to open the city gates and surrender to the Arab Empire's army besieging the city in exchange for the Uighur people in the city to avoid the disaster of massacre.

So far, the four military towns outside the capital of the Uighur Khanate, except for the Princess City, which is still in the hands of the Uighur Khanate, the three cities of Heihu, Meijian and Khatun all fell into the hands of the Arab Empire's Eastern Expedition Army.

After breaking through the city, the three Arab Empire's eastern expedition armies did not rest and continued to march non-stop towards the capital of the Huihe.

When the news that the Huihe garrison commanders in Meijian and Khatun took the initiative to surrender the city was reported back to the palace, Yingwu Khan Moyanchuo unexpectedly did not get furious, nor did he issue an edict to execute the garrison commanders and their families in Meijian and Khatun. It was more like he accepted the surrender of the two commanders.

When faced with the next military intention of the Arab Empire's eastern expedition army that broke through the three cities of Heihu, Meijian and Khatun and joined forces to march non-stop towards the capital city of Harabalgas, Yingwu Khan Moyanchuo did not feel fear or terror, but instead felt a sense of relief.

At the court meeting of the Uighur Khanate that day, the Yingwu Khan issued his last royal edict as the supreme ruler of the Uighur Khanate: "Lukes, you draft a royal edict in the name of this Khan-"

"Within three days, all the people in the capital city of Harabalgas can escape from the city before the enemy army sieges the city. The four gates of the capital city are all open, and the soldiers guarding the city shall not embarrass the people who escape from the city in any way;"

"Three days later, all the gates of the capital city will be closed on time. This Khan will fight to the death with the Arab Empire army in the royal city of Harabalgas, under the witness and blessing of the ancestors of the Yaomolu family, and swear to live and die with the royal city!"

"Khan--"

In the palace hall, a group of princes, nobles, civil officials and generals, including the prime minister Lukes, spoke out to persuade.

But, Yingwu Khan Moyanchuo, who had already made up his mind, how could he listen to their advice?

Even so, some ministers present brought up the example of Yingwu Khan, under the advice of Has, the former prime minister of the Uighur Khanate, who surrendered to Chen Huaian, the King of Jin, who was on the westward expedition, and sent Princess Yue Qiluo of Pijia to the Han area for marriage, trying to persuade Mo Yanchu to surrender to the Arab Empire in exchange for temporary peace and wait for the discussion in the future.

But Yingwu Khan was still decisive!

Moyanchuo said self-deprecatingly: "Everyone, this kind of surrender, ceding land and marriage has been done once during my reign. I can't always use this method to avoid danger and live in disgrace, right?"

"Besides, I don't have any other princesses to send to Baghdad, the capital of the Arab Empire, to marry?"

"I am the heroic Khan of the Uighur Khanate. I have to be called a hero once in my life, right?"

In this way, the heroic Khan Moyanchuo refused the ministers who tried to persuade him in the court with his determination, and personally ordered to go to the battlefield in front of all the civil and military officials.

"Bass, put on the armor for me. From today on, I will personally stand guard on the city wall of the capital and stand the last shift for the people in the city!"

"Yes, Khan!"

......

A hundred miles away, in addition to the capital of Harabalegas, the only princess city in the Uighur Khanate that still persisted in resisting the army of the Arab Empire.

In the central army tent in the garrison camp.

After seven days of fierce fighting, the Tang and Huihe generals stationed in the city looked exhausted. The last complete Huihe garrison in the city was sent to the city wall to defend the city yesterday.

General Abababekli, the young leader of the royal family of the Huihe Khanate, was injured in the brutal battles. One arm was hung on his neck with a bandage. The white gauze had been stained red by the blood oozing from the wound, and then turned brown and black.

And the Huihe veteran Mawlani, who was over fifty years old, once again put on his armor and his originally kind eyes had already revealed a fierce light.

After the fierce battle, the 30,000 defenders in the Princess City have only more than 10,000 soldiers who can fight.

The defenders held off the enemy outside the city for seven days at the cost of 20,000 casualties, and caused the Arab Empire's Eastern Expedition Army outside the city to pay a price of more than 100,000 casualties, and the Eastern Expedition General Turhong changed three generals in a row on the battlefield.

Today, the commander of the siege outside the Princess City was General Aini under Turhong, the third person after King Tibes of Wusun and General Caesar, but he still did not get any benefit from the defenders.

In the big tent, the Huihe generals Abababekli and Mawulani, who had received the royal edict of the Yingwu Khan of the Huihe Khanate, were extremely depressed, but they had to bite the bullet and report the contents of the royal edict to General Lan Yu truthfully.

This time, it was the older Huihe general Mawulani who stood up.

Mawlani said: "General, we just received the royal decree from Yingwu Khan this evening. In addition to the Black Tiger City that fell to the enemy the day before yesterday, the defenders of Meijian City and Khatun City surrendered to the enemy this morning;"

"Except for the capital city of Harabalagas, now, in this huge Uighur Khanate, only our Princess City is still resisting the Arab Empire's eastward expeditionary army!"

After a pause, Mawlani continued: "Yingwu Khan has issued a royal decree, and the people of the capital can escape before the enemy sieges the city;"

"Yingwu Khan also issued a royal decree to us, allowing us to decide whether to surrender the city?"

"And Yingwu Khan will personally lead the royal guards to defend the royal city, and swear to live and die with the royal city!"