Chapter 373: Three Months of Victory in the Western Regions (Part 1)

The battle of Black Tiger City started almost without any warning.

Chen Huaian, Emperor Zhaowu of the Tang Dynasty, personally led an army of 100,000 to besiege Black Tiger City, and launched a protracted confrontation with the more than 200,000 Arab Empire's Eastern Expedition Army in the city and its vassal coalition forces of the Western Regions.

In this battle, although the Tang army was at a disadvantage in terms of manpower, the 200 copper cannons produced in the Charlemagne Empire and the 100 red cannons of the Tang Shenji Camp perfectly made up for the shortcomings of the Tang army's insufficient manpower.

Chen Huaian, who knew that the Arab Empire's Eastern Expedition Army in Black Tiger City had long been out of food, was not in a hurry to break the city, but adopted a strategy of siege without attack, intending to trap the 200,000 troops under the command of Turhong, the Eastern Expedition General of the Abbasid Dynasty, in the city with the least casualties.

Every day, the 300 artillery pieces outside the Black Tiger City continuously poured artillery fire into the city, causing the defenders in the city to suffer.

Of course, the Arab Empire army stationed in Black Tiger City did not think about breaking out and counterattacking.

However, under the deterrence of 300 cannons of various types and thousands of crossbows, as well as the siege of the Tang cavalry armed to the teeth, the Arab Empire army in the city organized dozens of breakouts, but in the end, they only left a pile of corpses outside the city and retreated.

On the tenth day of September in the first year of Zhaowu in the Tang Dynasty, the ninth day of the Tang army's siege of Black Tiger City.

In the city, the trapped Arab Empire army had slaughtered thousands of war horses of the vassal armies of the Western Regions, and used horse meat to fill their stomachs, but they still could not escape the fate of being out of food.

If it hadn't been for the continuous rainfall in Black Tiger City these days, the defenders in the city would have had a problem even drinking water.

In the central army tent, General Turhong of the Eastern Expedition sat on the main seat without saying a word.

In front of him, dozens of generals of the Arab Empire's Eastern Expedition Army knelt down and begged the general to send people out of the city to negotiate peace in time to avoid the tragedy of 200,000 troops being trapped in Black Tiger City.

"General, please stop the war and negotiate peace in time, this war can't be fought!"

"Yes, General!"

"In recent days, the Empire's Eastern Expedition Army in Meijian and Khatun has long lost contact with the base camp. According to the situation of the Tang army besieging Black Tiger City, the situation of the Empire's Eastern Expedition Army in Meijian and Khatun must be the same as that of the base camp;"

"If this continues, we won't even have to wait for the Tang army outside the city to attack the city, we will starve to death!"

Boom, boom!

Suddenly, as if to cooperate with the Arab Empire generals in the big tent who advised General Turhong to negotiate peace and surrender, the Tang Shenji Camp outside the city began its daily routine bombing of the city.

The copper cannons used to bombard the city were purchased from Charlemagne by General Turhong's brother, Prime Minister Tursun of the Arab Empire, at a high price.

During the days of being trapped in Black Tiger City, these generals of the Arab Empire witnessed the power of copper cannons on the battlefield.

At the same time, they hated Prime Minister Tursun in their hearts. Why did they have to buy a bunch of copper cannons to give to the Tang army? Isn't it because they think the imperial army on the Eastern Expedition is not dying fast enough?

If there were no deterrence from the copper cannons, the cavalry of the imperial army on the Eastern Expedition trapped in Black Tiger City might have broken out long ago, and there would be no need to be trapped here with hunger and watch their morale decline day by day.

On the main seat of the big tent, facing the advice of his generals, the gloomy-faced General Turhong of the Eastern Expedition remained unmoved.

He was still waiting for an opportunity to break out.

As the first warrior of the Abbasid Dynasty and the general of the empire's eastern expedition, Turhong could accept the failure of his eastern expedition, but he could never accept the surrender to the enemy country, the Tang Dynasty.

During this period of time, he had discovered the weaknesses and flaws of the copper cannons used by the Tang army outside the city, that is, black gunpowder could not be used after being damp.

Therefore, Turhong had been enduring and waiting, waiting for an opportunity with wind and rain, and heavy rain. He would go into battle as the first warrior of the Abbasid Dynasty and personally lead his imperial cavalry to break through the camp of the Tang army outside the city.

However, this was something Turhong hid in the deepest part of his heart, and he did not reveal it to his generals at this time.

He just waved his hand and said calmly: "General Aini, pass the order down, go to the Persian cavalry and pick another thousand horses to kill, so that the soldiers can have a full meal;"

"Don't talk about the ceasefire and peace talks in front of this general;"

"The war is imminent, and those who shake the morale of the army will be killed without mercy!"

"I, I have received the order!"

......

Outside the Black Tiger City, in the central army tent of the Tang army.

Emperor Zhaowu Chen Huaian was entertaining his generals in the tent, including Guo Dingfang, Marquis of Zhenxi, Zuo Liangcai, Marquis of Changxin, and Tan Li and Luo Quan, two deputy generals of the Anxi Protectorate;

Even Lan Yu, Marquis of Anxi, who was injured in both knees in the battle of Princess City a month ago and eventually tied himself to the flagpole to command the battle, also appeared in the central army tent.

The group ate the fragrant roasted lamb and drank the sweet Western wine. Looking at this relaxed state, it seems that they are not here to fight in the Western Regions, but to vacation in the Western Regions.

After recovering from his injury, Anxi Marquis Lan Yu still behaved carefree.

Regarding the fact that he caused the princess of Wusun to commit suicide by hitting her head against a beam, Emperor Zhaowu of the Tang Dynasty, Chen Huaian, had already made a final judgment. In the end, Lan Yu's merits and demerits in the battle against the Arab Empire's army on the Eastern Expedition were offset, and the matter was put to rest by drinking three cups of wine as a penalty.

Lan Yu was grateful for the emperor's great grace and volunteered: "Your Majesty, the army has been besieging the city for several days. The enemy troops stationed in the city have long been out of food and their morale has been extremely low;"

"In my opinion, we should just take down the Black Tiger City in one go tomorrow and capture the enemy's main general Turhong alive;"

"I am willing to be the vanguard of the army and take the flag first!"

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

At this time, Zhenxi Hou Guo Dingfang also stood up and echoed: "Your Majesty, I think, The enemy troops in Black Tiger City would rather kill their horses to satisfy their hunger than surrender. They should be planning to fight to the end. "

"For such stubborn people, we should kill them all without leaving any of them!"

"Zhenxi Hou is wrong--"

Changxin Hou Zuo Liangcai also said slowly: "In my opinion, the enemy troops in Black Tiger City have been fighting to this day, waiting for an opportunity to break out of the city!"

"What opportunity?"

Lan Yu asked without hesitation.

Haha!

Zuo Liangcai smiled and said: "Waiting for an opportunity of wind and rain and heavy rain!"

"At that time, the red cannons of our Shenji Camp will not be able to exert their power, and that will be the opportunity for the enemy troops in Black Tiger City to break out of the city!"

Hmm!

On the main seat, Emperor Zhaowu Chen Huaian finally heard this answer that satisfied him.

Chen Huaian waved his hand and said, "Marquis Changxin is right. I think so too. According to the practice of previous years, the weather in the Huihe Khanate will become complicated and changeable after the Double Ninth Festival. A late autumn rain may not be impossible."

Hearing this, Lan Yu raised his eyebrows and said hurriedly, "Your Majesty, if this is the case, our army should take advantage of the clear weather and the red cannons of the Shenji Camp can provide support for the army's siege to attack the Black Tiger City!"

"Otherwise, if Turhong really waits for an autumn rain, and waits for a heavy rain, won't he have to lead his troops out of the city to break out?"

Hahaha!

Hearing this, Chen Huaian, who was sitting in the main seat, couldn't help laughing out loud.

After laughing, he said confidently: "Lan Yu, Lan Yu, the reason why I besieged the Black Tiger City but did not attack it was to wait for the day when the enemy's chief general Turhong would take the initiative to break out of the city;"

"As far as I know, Turhong is the first warrior of the Abbasid Dynasty;"

"To be exact, I haven't fought with the enemy's chief general on horseback for several years since I defeated the former tyrant Zhao Gan on horseback last time;"

"I am itching to see how powerful this first warrior of the Abbasid Dynasty is!"