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Emboldened by the victory at Horoz, the Chen dynasty initiated an invasion of Al-Zawad intending to gain the southern shore of lake Doyeon. As the Chen marched south in the direction of Al-Zawad's heartland, their enemy divided its forces into three separate armies, refusing to engage general Qu Hou's larger army in the open. After reducing several fortresses in late 861, Qu Hou marched on the Al-Zawad capital. The main Al-Zawadid army finally stood in his way to give battle at the village of Pasdar but unbeknownst to Qu Hou his army was being flanked from the east and the west by the other two formations. The initial battle went in favor of the larger Chen army but as it was close to overwhelming the Al-Zawadid infantry the auxiliary armies initiated their attack from the rear and eastern flank. The morale of the Chen collapsed upon being close to encirclement and a rout soon initiated. Qu Hou broke free of the trap with a few hundred horsemen and fled north while the bulk of the Chen infantry tried to flee west, only to get bogged down and picked off in the marshes. The defeat at the battle of Pasdar ended the Al-Zawad expedition and dented Chen military prestige altough Ghanim's own weakened position at the time precluded it taking advantage to throw off its vassal status.  
Emboldened by the victory at Horoz, the Chen dynasty initiated an invasion of Al-Zawad intending to gain the southern shore of lake Doyeon. As the Chen marched south in the direction of Al-Zawad's heartland, their enemy divided its forces into three separate armies, refusing to engage general Qu Hou's larger army in the open. After reducing several fortresses in late 861, Qu Hou marched on the Al-Zawad capital. The main Al-Zawadid army finally stood in his way to give battle at the village of Pasdar but unbeknownst to Qu Hou his army was being flanked from the east and the west by the other two formations. The initial battle went in favor of the larger Chen army but as it was close to overwhelming the Al-Zawadid infantry the auxiliary armies initiated their attack from the rear and eastern flank. The morale of the Chen collapsed upon being close to encirclement and a rout soon initiated. Qu Hou broke free of the trap with a few hundred horsemen and fled north while the bulk of the Chen infantry tried to flee west, only to get bogged down and picked off in the marshes. The defeat at the battle of Pasdar ended the Al-Zawad expedition and dented Chen military prestige altough Ghanim's own weakened position at the time precluded it taking advantage to throw off its vassal status.  
====Fragmentation into taifas====
====Fragmentation into taifas====
[[File:Gate_of_the_Justice,_Alhambra_01.JPG|Gate of Justice of the Dofzul palace, main residence of the Menguzid rulers]]
[[File:Gate_of_the_Justice,_Alhambra_01.JPG|thumb|Gate of Justice of the Dofzul palace, main residence of the Menguzid rulers]]
The constant warring during the 13th century accompanied by the financial burdens upon the central treasuries, the decrease in manpower for the civilian economy and agriculture left the Muslim states on the western border of the new [[Daxia|Zhong dynasty]] in a vulnerable position. Discontent with the ruling families both from within and outside grew exponentially. Lakdu's royal family, the Menguzid dynasty, were overthrown in a palace coup by Vizier Rukh Al-Din with support of the army only for the army to split later, engendering a civil war to restore the Menguzids to the throne. Al-Zawad saw the emergence of a Shia prophet who styled himself as the Chakosh Khodaa (Hammer of God), he raised a massive peasant rebellion that straddled the usual Sunni-Shia religious divide and used it to cast down the Ferguzids and installed a theocratic regime that lasted 8 years before collapsing to infighting. Amidst all this upheaval, local grandees such as Beys, emirs and regional military commanders began pulling away from weakened central authorities, withholding taxes and assistance. Even after a tentative restoration of the Menguzid family in 1325, the dynasty's actual control only extended to five cities outside of the capital and local rulers disputed the Menguzid claim to the title of sultan. After the Chakosh Khodaa's death, nine of his disciples declared themselves variously as successor prophets, caliphs or ayatollahs and fought fierce battles against one another resulting in the permanent fragmentation of Al Zawad by 1258.  
The constant warring during the 13th century accompanied by the financial burdens upon the central treasuries, the decrease in manpower for the civilian economy and agriculture left the Muslim states on the western border of the new [[Daxia|Zhong dynasty]] in a vulnerable position. Discontent with the ruling families both from within and outside grew exponentially. Lakdu's royal family, the Menguzid dynasty, were overthrown in a palace coup by Vizier Rukh Al-Din with support of the army only for the army to split later, engendering a civil war to restore the Menguzids to the throne. Al-Zawad saw the emergence of a Shia prophet who styled himself as the Chakosh Khodaa (Hammer of God), he raised a massive peasant rebellion that straddled the usual Sunni-Shia religious divide and used it to cast down the Ferguzids and installed a theocratic regime that lasted 8 years before collapsing to infighting. Amidst all this upheaval, local grandees such as Beys, emirs and regional military commanders began pulling away from weakened central authorities, withholding taxes and assistance. Even after a tentative restoration of the Menguzid family in 1325, the dynasty's actual control only extended to five cities outside of the capital and local rulers disputed the Menguzid claim to the title of sultan. After the Chakosh Khodaa's death, nine of his disciples declared themselves variously as successor prophets, caliphs or ayatollahs and fought fierce battles against one another resulting in the permanent fragmentation of Al Zawad by 1258.