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In 642 CE a "last stand" took place at Nahavand in modern-day Iran, where the Sassanid army lost to the invading forces of the Rashidun Caliphate. After this defeat, the Sassanid king Yazdgerd III was never again able to muster the forces to seriously impede the Arab conquest of the rest of his kingdom. For nine more years he kept retreating further to the east, all the while trying to muster help from the Turks (Central Asian) and the Tang Chinese. In 651 CE Yazdgerd was murdered, possibly at the connivance of the governor of the city of Merv, his son Peroz III fleeing to China with a retinue of several thousand.

Suppose, however, that sometime between 642-651 CE, Yazdgerd decides that the fight is lost and he must gather as many as he can and flee to China, throwing himself and his people at the mercy of the Tang emperor. Realistically how many could he take, and more importantly, where could the emperor settle them that allows them to retain their identity as Persians, yet is close enough to the Tang power base that China can protect them from foreign aggression.
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