Muslim World
The Real Threat: The Desertic Three Days' Battle
January 12, 744 - Coast of Cyrenaica, near today Brega
Uqba after capturing Ṭarābulus at the end of last year, moved through the desert with his army of 33.000 men and continued his march along the coast towards Egypt.
At Barqah inlet, shortly after experiencing difficulties crossing the secluded Gulf Coast of Sirte, help from the natives on this crossing was of great importance, especially after a group of Berbers notified Uqba of the arrival of a large arab army in the region supported by the umayyad navy. Uqba then sends emissaries to communicate to the western fleets loyal to him about the umayyad fleet in the region as he prepares for battle.
The battle would begin in an attack by the berber cavalry after spotting an isolated and lost unit of the umayyad army, the attack would succeed, causing the unit to run back to the army, but the rest of the army would be warned of the attack, the arab archers would initiate a combat in the sandstones of the region against Uqba's archers, who respond by targeting mainly at the main army exposed in the sand, that combat would end indecisively to the point that night falls and the bulk of the two armies have not yet met.
On the second day, the berber cavalry would strike again, this time meeting the arab cavalry led by the commander of the entire arab army himself, Tha'laba ibn Salama al-Amili, the berber cavalry would win this fight against the arabs, who retreated back to the main army, this would make Berber cavalry an eternal danger to the left flank (deeper into the desert) of the umayyad army. Archer shooting was also common, but still indecisive, both armies planned to end it soon on the third day of this desert battle, at the end of the day, Uqba's formation made a small strategic advance with units reaching the shores of the lake near the coast, still no contact between the bulk of the two armies. Uqba orders his troops to rest early to begin his plan early tomorrow.
At the beginning of the third day, Uqba moves his troops to advance against the umayyads, Uqba's infantry takes the initiative in an early offensive, surprising Tha'laba's troops. The offensive focuses mainly on the lake shore in the region, completely driving out the umayyads from there. Meanwhile, the archers took care of the umayyad troops retreating into the desert along with the cavalry, inferring the retreat, and with luck may capture Tha'laba. With the attack on the left being successful, Tha'laba orders a further retreat into the desert to perhaps leave the sight of the Uqba army and flee with the army to Barneeq [Benghazi], but the retreat is condemned by the berber archers and cavalry and with this unfortunate surprise, the umayyad troops began to enter in panic.
Tha'laba then tries to use what is left of his cavalry for a desperate attack on the line of berber archers, this attack fails completely and causes Tha'laba to die, with this news not taking long to spread and a encirclement seeming near as Uqba's infantry arrives at the rear of the umayyads, mass defections begin in the umayyad army with many simply running randomly into the desert and others surrendering. At the end of the day from the initial army of 52.000 Arabs, 26.000 were killed, 12.000 were captured and the rest is unknown. After the victory, Uqba's army would see the quick surrender of Barneeq and Barqa. The reaction to the defeat was the immediate sending of another army to prevent Uqba's capture of Ṭubruq [Tobruk], which would leave Miṣr [Egypt] vulnerable for further incursions. This army would be defeated at the Battle of Akramah on the outskirts of Ṭubruq, and would place Egypt in full danger of the forces of Uqba.
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The Abbasids Control The West and East: The Battle of Borūjerd
December 28, 743 - Borūjerd
After the start of the pro-abbasid revolts in Persia, the abbasid advance in the east became much easier. With the territories of Central Asia rapidly being taken over and persian revolts in the process of seizing all Persian territories east of the Zagros Mountains, the umayyads still hold tight, and while some revolts succeed in connecting with the Abbasids and strengthening the movement, others are brutally suppressed by the umayyad forces, but this is far from significantly improving the situation, so Ma'n ibn Za'ida al-Shaybani, leader of the umayyad forces in the region, makes an ambitious plan to deliver a decisive defeat against the abbasids in the valleys of the Zargos Mountatins, knowing that a future abbasid foray there is inevitable.
The abbasids under Abu Muslim begin their mountain range crossing from Qom, before leaving, Abu Muslim made sure to know the situation of all abbasid forces in Persia. It has 42.000 men, while the other 2 focuses of Abbasid armies have smaller numbers, one in the south with 27.000 under Qahtaba ibn Shabib al-Ta'i based in Šīrāz, and another in Al-Sindh with 34.000 troops, under Al-Hasan ibn Qahtaba ibn Shabib al-Ta'i, based on Zaidān. The latter would be having less work, with Al-Sindh just being pacified and Qahtaba ibn Shabib himself saying that in a few months his action in the region will not be necessary.
The two armies meet near Borūjerd village and camp there, Abu Muslim organizes his army, he leaves the famous persian archers in the rear behind the infantry, divided into 2 smaller groups on the flanks and 1 in the center to support the infantry, the persian Aswārān cavalry on the left flank, with infantry strengthening the left flank and center. On the right flank, turkish archer cavalry is placed to withstand the attacks, being the most exotic component of the battle. On the other side, Ma'n ibn Za'ida focuses forces in the center, with the arab cavalry on the right flank and the arab archers next to the infantry line in direct combat with the enemy infantry, a cavalry reserve is also left in the rear.
The day begins and Ma'n ibn Za'ida takes the initiative, the infantry advance in the center can almost breakthrough Abu Muslim's light infantry, but are forced to retreat due to the large casualties provided by the archers as soon as they managed to retreat the enemy infantry. But on the left, the light umayyad infantry meets the turkish cavalrymen, something that Ma'n did not expect to be in enemy hands, the battle is quite unfair, with the turks slaughtering the umayyad infantry, on the left flank the persian cavalry defeats the arab cavalry in their engagement, and soon after counterattacks. The weakened Arab cavalry is reinforced by the rear troops and balances the game, preventing the persian cavalry from going further. With this, Ma'n orders the cavalry to advance on the flank, this advance succeeds and the arab cavalry manages to reach the abbasid rear, but when they arrive there they are greeted by a rain of arrows from the persian archers who put most of their fire in them, as the umayyad infantry was retreating. But Ma'n, seeing this as an opportunity to have the decisive victory he so wanted, orders a full infantry attack on the abbasid troops.
This total attack is initially furiously successful, but Abu Muslim is not an idiot and orders his troops to retreat, and the total attack ends up gaining more ground than abbasid dead for the umayyads. Abu Muslim then orders the Turkish cavalry that was free on its right flank to advance against the unprotected Umayyad rearguard, the turkish cavalry quickly sweeps the arab archers with their mobility advantage and are able to reach the rear of the umayyad infantry. At the same time, the persian archers united with the abbasid infantry manage to repel the arab cavalry, and soon after that, make a counterattack against the umayyad infantry, with the loss of the archers and the turkish cavalry already making confusion in the umayyad rear, the troops are soon decimated, and what was left of the army (basically the cavalry) fled after the destruction of the infantry, along with the cavalry, fled Ma'n.
Ma'n would lose his job after reporting the overwhelming defeat suffered for Yusuf ibn Umar al-Thaqafi, the governor of Iraq. While Abu Muslim would secure all territories east of the Zagros Mountains for the abbasids, with an abbasid invasion of Iraq already being seen by the abbasids.
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An Raid That Changed Everything: The Caliph is Dead!
January 23, 744 - al-ʾIskandariyya
The umayyad situation was not the best, only Iraq, al-Arabīyah and Miṣr they had in their hands, the court being in al-ʾIskandariyya [Alexandria], which was already threatened after the capture of Barqah [Tripolitania] by Uqba forces, and with still a chance of being isolated by the capture of al-Quds [Jerusalem] by the forces of Sulayman.
Walid ibn Yazid, the umayyad Caliph decides to get together an army of 11.000 troops and take a drastic action, abandon al-ʾIskandariyya and Miṣr, cross the Negev Desert and head toward Madinah, reestablishing the court there. This decision is agreed upon by all court members and they leave al-ʾIskandariyya and begin their "pilgrimage". On the way they suffer from some coptic and native rebellions but nothing too radical.
January 30, 744 - Negev Desert, near Shitim
Crossing the desert, the trip was monotonous, with nothing to be impressed, just a normal day in the desert.
Until late afternoon, an unpleasant surprise comes to them, riding camels and moving swiftly. They are cavalrymen of Sulayman, it shocks the whole court in the desert.
They were going to secure the port of Ayla [Current Aqaba] in the Red Sea, a very bad luck blow to the umayyads. Walid orders his soldiers to protect the court and make a square defense of it, to repel the enemy.
The cavalry then makes a very strange charge. They throw their knives at a point in the square, weakening the troops there. Soon after that, they make a full attack at that same point and can break the square with this prank, so by breaking the square, the infantry becomes useless, since the cavalry had the entire umayyad court ahead of them, the umayyads are soon brutally murdered. All at once, after seeing the court's death, the umayyad troops surrender to the cavalrymen and their leader, whose name would be recognized by more than one continent, Nudyia Harthi Al-Jizar, once a poor boy living in the suburbs of Damascus, now the one who killed the umayyads. The news would spread quickly after the forces arrived in Ayla, and would change the whole scenario of Third Fitna, but it would not end it yet.