There were already many nobles and ministers in the capital calling for Abu Muslim's death. This was not good news for Abu Muslim. No one knew what the Caliph's order was, but the Sword of Damocles would eventually fall.
"Ziyad, is there any way to find out about the High Priest?"
Abu Muslim suddenly asked.
"Milord?!"
Ziyad was stunned. He hadn't expected Abu Muslim to put aside the Caliph's wrath and punishment and instead talk about the High Priest.
"Ziyad, Masil is the High Priest's disciple, and His Majesty favors Masil because of his relationship with the High Priest. Thus, from start to finish, the most crucial factor in this matter … has always been the High Priest's stance. The Caliph has yet to make his stance clear because the High Priest has yet to make his stance clear.
"The Behemoths being controlled by the Tang people and switching sides at the crucial moment is the greatest variable on this battlefield. Masil's death is also heavily related to this. If we inform the High Priest of this matter, perhaps … he can help us survive this calamity and even obtain some additional assistance. The eastern world is filled with far too many unknown mysteries. Talas is probably only the beginning. I have a feeling … that if we want to conquer the eastern world in the future, we will need to borrow the High Priest's strength. "
Abu Muslim's words left Ziyad flabbergasted.
Everyone knew that Abu Muslim was facing a calamity after the disastrous defeat at Talas, but no one had connected these words to the most mysterious High Priest of the empire. Moreover, the High Priest was a lofty, mysterious, and revered existence that no ordinary person could interact with.
But if one carefully thought about it, Abu Muslim's words were not without reason.
For a moment, Ziyad's mind was in turmoil, and he couldn't help but freeze.
"But, Milord, the High Priest is like a dragon whose head and tail are rarely seen. The place he appears the most is the Temple. But not even the people of the Temple know of his whereabouts, much less us. Moreover, His Majesty the Caliph has long ago decreed that no one is allowed to disturb the Temple or the High Priest. Anyone who disobeys will be executed, and even the Third Prince is like this, much less us. "
Ziyad said.
Abu Muslim immediately furrowed his brow. He knew what Ziyad was talking about. Back then, the Third Prince had been extremely favored by the Caliph, but because of his playfulness, he had mistakenly entered the Holy Temple. When the Caliph found out, he had been executed. The position of a prince was high and lofty, and he had the right to inherit the throne. Even the nobles, ministers, and governors of various regions had to bow and pay their respects to him, not to mention other people.
From then on, the entire empire knew of the caliph's determination, and no one dared to approach the temple. Moreover, there were ten thousand Arab soldiers guarding the area.
After a long period of thought, Abu Muslim was forced to admit that it was almost impossible to get past the High Priest. If the Holy Temple was only heavily guarded, Abu Muslim could still take the risk and force his way in. However, the key point was that even if he forced his way in, it would be difficult for him to see the High Priest.
The High Priest was too mysterious. In the past ten years, he had only shown his face three times. It was almost impossible to get help from the High Priest.
"Let's put this matter aside for now. Let me ask you, how is the Mamelukes doing?"
Abram Muse said. But when he said those words, Abu Muslim's eyes clearly shone with a special light.
"Milord, the rebellion of the old nobles in Khorasan has been completely suppressed. From the information we have obtained, the Khorasan rebels have lost more than three hundred thousand soldiers. I believe that after this, they will find it very difficult to stir up any more trouble for a very long time. In addition, the Mamelukes have learned of what happened at Talas. Commander Aybak has already sent a letter saying that after finishing up the work at Khorasan, he will wait in the rear for Governor Qutaybah and Governor Osman's armies to arrive at Talas with them.
"Aybak is very interested in the eastern army that was able to defeat the Behemoth Army and Skyquaking Army," Ziyad sternly said.
Ziyad sternly said.
When he mentioned the Mamelukes, Ziyad's voice clearly grew louder.
In this Battle of Talas, the Mamelukes were supposed to appear in the east, and the Caliph had promised that they would assist Abu Muslim in conquering the eastern world. But because of the turmoil in the rear and the strange movements in Khorasan, the Mamelukes had been mobilized and had not arrived on the battlefield.
The Mamelukes' absence was also an important factor in the defeat at the Battle of Talas.
If they had received the reinforcements of the Mamelukes, perhaps everything would have been different. At the very least, the special WuZi Steel cavalry of the Tang Dynasty would not have been able to gallop unhindered on the ground.
"However, although the Mamelukes are powerful, in terms of weapons and equipment, they can't compare to the WuZi Steel cavalry of the Tang Dynasty. Those weapons are far too sharp. The God Armor of the Skyquaking Army is the finest equipment of the empire, the crystallization of all the craftsmen of the empire, and its toughness is rarely matched. But the WuZi Steel swords of the Tang people were actually able to cut through the God Armor of the Skyquaking Giants. I sense that these WuZi Steel swords are the Mamelukes' greatest weakness. If we don't resolve this weakness, the Mamelukes will find it very difficult to unleash their full power, "Ziyad sternly said.
Ziyad sternly said.
Abu Muslim said nothing, but the change in his expression was enough to tell the truth. Although the battle had been intense, both Abu Muslim and Ziyad had been paying close attention to the situation on the battlefield.
Although the Skyquaking Army could not compare to the giant ape, it was definitely the second most powerful force in Arabia. In their plan, the power of the Skyquaking Army combined with the God Armor was completely capable of destroying the Tang Dynasty's army from within. But when the five thousand Wushang cavalry charged over, everything changed.
If one had not seen it with their own eyes, they would have found it very difficult to believe that the God Armor, which represented the highest level of craftsmanship in the empire, could be so vulnerable to the sabers and swords of the Tang people.
"Take the information we've gathered and the remains of the God Armor and send them to Khorasan in the rear and hand them over to Mameluke Leader Aybak. Aybak has more power and resources in the empire than we do, so he can only rely on himself to resolve this problem. I trust that once he sees these things, he will understand. "
… …
Flapflap!
A black hunting falcon flapped its wings with astonishing speed, flying from the distant Samarkand all the way to the strategic fortress of Khorasan. The Arabs' advantage of being closer to Talas was now on full display.
Abu Muslim's news had reached Aybak much faster than expected.
Whoosh!
As the black hunting falcon flew over Khorasan, one could see that this strategic fortress of the east was lined with rows upon rows of fortresses, like a forest of spears pointing into the sky. From the density and grandeur of these buildings, Khorasan was clearly an economically prosperous fortress.
In truth, anyone who visited Khorasan would be stunned by its grandeur and grandeur. On the Silk Road, this city was known as the 'Pearl of the West Coast'. Countless merchants would travel along the Silk Road from the east to the west, ultimately converging at the end of the Silk Road.
But at this moment, all of Khorasan was no longer as beautiful as it had been in the past. The streets were covered in piles of corpses, burned in heaps, black smoke rising into the air. The air was thick with the stench of charred corpses, but the strongest of all was the suffocating stench of blood.
In many places, even the air was red, and the blood was still spreading.
Caw!
Flocks of vultures and crows circled in the sky above the city, then swooped down, "competing" with the flames for the corpses. In many places, ownerless camels and ostriches wandered about.
Khorasan!
This pearl at the end of the Silk Road had just experienced a gruesome massacre. Although the uprising had been suppressed, it would take a very long time to clean up the mess!
Whoosh!
In the center of Khorasan, a large banner had been raised atop a large white stone building. A black crescent moon was fluttering upon this banner, exuding an aura of extreme cruelty and somberness. Anyone who saw it would feel their heart palpitate in fear.
Mamelukes!
There was no one in the Arabian Empire who did not know of this banner and its name.
'Slaughter is eternal, conquest is king!'
This was the motto of the Mamelukes.
At this moment, countless Mamelukes were standing around the white square stone building.
These Mamelukes were all tall and muscular, their skin dark and their bulging muscles gleaming with a cold light, as if they were made of steel. Their bodies were tense and brimming with explosive strength, like cheetahs ready to fight at any moment. Most frightening of all was the black armor they wore. The marks of swords and sabers were so dense that one could tell that these Mamelukes had experienced countless bitter battles.
The thick blood had even dyed their black armor a dark red, fusing with the thick killing intent exuded by the Mamelukes.
These warriors who were born to kill were like demons from hell. They were not like warriors of the human world at all. And their callous and emotionless eyes were enough to make anyone who saw them feel as if they had been plunged into an icy cavern.
Bwoooom!
A ferocious hound passed by the corner of the street about twenty feet away from him. Suddenly, the hound seemed to sense something. Its body trembled, and it let out a low whimper. Tucking its tail between its legs, it began to flee in fright.
These were the illustrious Mamelukes of the Arabian Empire. At the place where they appeared, even the bugs underground were silent, and the surroundings were deathly silent.
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