Battle of Talas and Suiye: Unravelling the True Purpose of Tang Dynasty’s Military Campaign

This paper explores the historical development leading up to the Battle of Talas, which took place in 751 between the Tang Dynasty and Islamic forces.While some studies have long regarded the battle as an important clash in world history, others have argued that it was a serendipitous encounter with little impact on subsequent historical developments. This paper discusses the historical significance of the battle, starting from examining the motive of the Tang army, which was led by Gao Xianzhi 高仙芝 to the banks of the Talas River.First, Chapter 1 discusses the context of Central Asian history leading up to the Battle of Talas. The Shāsh (Shiguo 石國), patronised by the Turkic nomadic Huangsheng Türgiš (Huangxing Tuqishi 黃姓突騎施), found themselves in conflict with the Tang. The Shāsh’s defection from the Tang during their conflict with Fergana prompted Gao Xianzhi’s military expedition and eventually led to the outbreak of the Battle of Talas. In Chapter 2, two historical documents are examined: the newly discovered Turfan document dating back to 751 (2006TZJI:026) and the Epitaph of Guo Yao 郭曜 from 783. Both documents record the departure of Gao Xianzhi’s army for the Battle of Talas. Remarkably, they mention Suiye 碎葉 (Sūyāb, now the site of Ak-Beshim) as the initial destination before Talas. This is in line with the records of Du Huan 杜環, which provide more details about Suiye than the Battle of Talas itself. Thus, it is clear that the initial destination of Gao Xianzhi’s army was not Talas but Suiye. In Chapter 3, it is pointed out that the Huangsheng Türgiš had a strong presence in Central Asia at the time. The Gao Xianzhi’s army, following the defection of Shāsh, assumed that it would engage in battle with the Huangsheng Türgiš rather than the emergent Islamic forces, and set out for Suiye. The examination conducted by this paper reveals that Gao Xianzhi’s expedition, which resulted in the Battle of Talas, did not intend to target the Islamic forces; the engagement between the two factions was purely coincidental.journal articl