Gao Xianzhi - First Western Campaign

First Western Campaign

At that time, Lesser Bolü (小勃律, a city state centering modern Gilgit, Pakistan) was allied with Tufan, leading to some 20 city states around it to also become Tufan vassals. A Tufan princess became the wife and queen of Lesser Bolü's king. Tian Renwan, Gai Jiayun, and Fumeng Lingcha all had tried to attack Lesser Bolü before, but was unable to defeat it. In 747, Gao Xianzhi led a three-pronged attack of 10,000 cavalry soldiers, surprising both Lesser Bolü and Tufan forces stationed in Lesser Bolü. He captured Lesser Bolü's king and queen and returned to Tang territory with them.

However, Fumeng was angry that Gao directly reported the news of the victory to Emperor Xuanzong without first reporting to him, cursing him with obscenities and threatening to kill him. The eunuch Bian Lingcheng, whom Emperor Xuanzong had sent to monitor Gao's forces, interceded on Gao's behalf and reported Fumeng's threats to Emperor Xuanzong. Emperor Xuanzong, in response, around the new year 748, summoned Fumeng back to the capital Chang'an and promoted Gao to take over his position. Despite this, Gao never lost his respect for Fumeng, although he arrested several of Fumeng's subordinates who attacked him—fellow deputy military governor Cheng Qianli (程千里), and the army officers Bi Sichen (畢思琛) and Wang Tao (王滔), but then released him, stating that he was venting his anger, and that now that he had, he believed that they could still serve under him. He entrusted Feng Changqing as his assistant, often having Feng lead troops or, when he himself led troops in campaigns, had Feng be in charge of the headquarters. Li Siye also first distinguished himself as an army officer under Gao.

As a result of Gao's first campaign, Tang began to contend for influence with the Abbasid Caliphate and Tufan in the area of modern northern Pakistan and Afghanistan. About 72 local Indian and Sogdian kingdoms became Tang vassals, ending the Tufan dominion of the Pamir Mountains. While he served as the military governor of Anxi, placing such places as Tokmak, Kucha, and Kashmir, under the jurisdiction of his headquarters.