For five days, the mighty armies clashed.
When the Qarluq Turks came in on the Arab side several days into the fighting, the Tang army's doom was sealed. Chinese sources imply that the Qarluqs had been fighting for them, but treacherously switched sides midway through the battle.
Arab records, on the other hand, indicate that the Qarluqs were already allied with the Abbasids prior to the conflict. The Arab account seems more likely since the Qarluqs suddenly mounted a surprise attack on the Tang formation from the rear.
Some modern Chinese writings about the battle still exhibit a sense of outrage at this perceived betrayal by one of the Tang Empire's minority peoples. Whatever the case, the Qarluq attack signaled the beginning of the end for Kao Hsien-chih's army.
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