Some wars in the history of mankind are a military confrontation between different civilizations. Battle of Talas, held in 751 A.D. e., is one of such collisions. Although the scale of the battle was small and the number of soldiers on each side hardly exceeded 30 thousand people, and there were no great achievements in the art of fighting, this battle nevertheless entered the top ten most important battles in the history of the world: as a result, the development of civilization changed its direction.
Background
The Battle of Talas in 751 is so important because two of the most powerful civilizations of that period met here: the Chinese and Muslim Arabs. The epic clash occurred at the time of the highest expansion of both sides. By that time, the Arabs had more than a century successfully moving towards the east, swallowed Iran and began the invasion of Central Asia, reaching the Indus River. As a result, they created a powerful and almost indestructible superstate - the caliphate. At this time, the Chinese army was moving forward. After the conquest of the northern steppes and southern highlanders, China, under the leadership of the Tang Dynasty, turned its gaze to the west.
Both forces intended to extend their power to the entire continent, so sooner or later they were forced to face each other. Potentially, the territory of India or Afghanistan could become the battlefield, but by coincidence, the meeting took place near the small river Talas, which takes place on the border of modern Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan.
At the beginning of the 8th century, the Chinese empire spread its influence to the Great Silk Road. As a result, the oases of Kucha, Kashgar, Khotan were annexed, the Dzungar Khanate was conquered , and the Turkic Khaganate was completely defeated. Then the Chinese reached the Ferghana Valley, to which the Arabs had already claimed their rights. In 749, a Chinese commander named Gao Xianzhi took Tashkent, but made the greatest mistake in his life: he executed the Turkic ruler Shash, and this decision caused a wave of indignation among the rulers of Central Asia. Until that moment, they considered the Arabs to be a more serious threat, but after the execution of a high-ranking lord they changed their minds.
When the governor of the Arab caliph, Abu Maslim, sent a detachment of soldiers to meet the Chinese army, the Turkic troops joined this similar. The arrogant and short-sighted Gao Xianzhi did not attach importance to this fact. In 751, thirty thousand Chinese soldiers entered the valley of the Talas River, and from the south-west direction the Arab army rushed here.
Battle progress
Descriptions of the battle are contradictory, it is known for certain only in which year the Battle of Talas took place - in 751. According to one version, both armies were lined up against each other and stood motionless for four days, waiting for the orders of the commanders. On the fifth day, the Turkic cavalry struck the rear of the Chinese, as a result of which the troops retreated.
The second version of events seems more believable. The Talas battle between the Arab and Chinese forces lasted three days. However, the forces were equal and none of the parties achieved superiority. On the fourth day, a mounted detachment of Turks entered the battle, bypassing the Chinese from the rear, and the Yemeni Arab troops at the same time broke through the formation on the first line of the battle. The Chinese army was between two fires and was soon defeated. Commander Gao Xianzhi, along with a small detachment of bodyguards, managed to escape to Dzungaria. The battle was fierce and only the intervention of the Turks turned the tide. As a result, the Arab army suffered significant losses, but managed to win.
Troop numbers and casualties
The size of the Arab army was 40-50 thousand people, and the Chinese - about 30-40 thousand. More than 20 thousand Arabs and 8 thousand Chinese were killed and wounded in the Battle of Talas, and about 20 thousand Chinese soldiers were captured.
Effects
As a result of the battle, the advance of the Tang Empire to the west was stopped. However, the Chinese managed to inflict serious damage on the Arab troops and slow down their expansion of the eastern territories. The battle of Talas became a decisive factor in the Islamization of the Central Asian lands. The captured Chinese masters revealed the secret to Arabs of paper making, and the active production of this most valuable product began in Samarkand. The Türks formed an independent state and Central Asia achieved independence from the conquerors from both the east and the west.
Significance for the story
If not for this battle, then the development of the entire human civilization could have taken a completely different path. After the defeat of the Chinese in the Battle of Talas, the creation of a world empire under the control of the Tang Dynasty became impossible. But the Arabs suffered such significant losses that they could not continue to move east. Soon, the caliphate began civil wars and uprisings, which undermined the forces of the Arab state. As a result, equilibrium reigned in the Middle East and lasted almost 500 years: until the moment when Genghis Khan came to power.