Battle of Dafei River
The Battle of Dafei River was fought in mid-670 between the forces of the Tang dynasty and the Tibetan Empire, for control over the Tarim Basin. In 669, the Tibetan Empire invaded and conquered the Tuyuhun kingdom of Qinghai, which was a tributary state and important ally to the Tang dynasty. To help Tuyuhun restore the regime, Emperor Gaozong of Tang launched the campaign against Tibet. The Tang general, Xue Rengui, commanded a huge army of allegedly 100,000 men. He left his slower-moving baggage train and 20,000 soldiers under Guo Daifeng behind and advanced with the rest to the Qinghai Lake. The Tibetans attacked and captured the Tang baggage train, and proceeded to destroy Xue's own army at the Dafei River. In the aftermath of the battle, Tang dynasty's control over the Tarim Basin collapsed.
