In Wang Chong's memories, the Mamelukes, the strongest force of cavalry on the continent, should have appeared here during the Battle of Talas. But because of his interference, Gao Xianzhi's entry into the City of Talas, the battle had begun much earlier, and the Behemoth Army had appeared while the Mamelukes had remained in the rear to suppress the Khorasani uprising … Everything had gone completely awry.
And Khorasan was unquestionably another variable.
"… The Arabs are extremely ambitious, and their thirst for war and conquest knows no bounds. This time, it was our Sassanid Dynasty that fell, and next time, it will be your eastern world. Talas is only the beginning, not the end. "
The Khorasani continued, his expression extremely solemn.
In the hall, Wang Chong and Gao Xianzhi discreetly glanced at each other. This Khorasani truly was rather special. His judgment of the Arabs was exactly the same as that of Wang Chong and Gao Xianzhi.
"What do you hope to obtain?"
Wang Chong suddenly asked.
"I hope that we can work together to deal with the Arabs!"
The tall and thin Khorasani sternly said.
"All of you might not know this, but although Abu Muslim has been temporarily defeated, he has already begun to recruit new soldiers. One of the strongest governors of Arabia, the Governor of War, Qutaybah, and Governor of Cairo, Osman, have already led soldiers to Talas to reinforce Abu Muslim."
"Qutaybah has an illustrious reputation in Arabia, and he is even stronger than Abu Muslim. All the countries he has conquered, from top to bottom, have been slaughtered, leaving no one alive. More importantly, they have many fierce generals under their command, and their soldiers are extremely powerful. With the soldiers of these two people and Abu Muslim's, in the next battle, you will see at least four hundred thousand soldiers at Talas! "
"Buzz!"
Everyone in the hall, including Wang Chong and Gao Xianzhi, paled at these words.
In the last war, the Tang dynasty, the Ouzan, the Western Turks, and the Arabs had all suffered grievous losses. If Abu Muslim only had this small number of soldiers, he wouldn't have much of an effect on the Tang Dynasty, but if the three sides joined forces and the Arabs mustered another four hundred thousand soldiers, this war would become extremely disadvantageous to the Tang.
At the very least, the Tang Dynasty's forces at Talas could not deal with four hundred thousand Arab soldiers. Moreover, one Abu Muslim was already very difficult to deal with. If two more Arab governors came, they wouldn't even dare to think about it.
"In addition, Abu Muslim's defeat has attracted the attention of the Caliph. Before, he had only treated you as an ordinary country of the east, but now that Qutaybah and Osman had arrived, it was clear that the Caliph now viewed you as Arabia's strongest foe. The only time three governors working together on an expedition to the east is when the Arabs conquered our Sassanid Dynasty. "
The tall and thin Khorasani sternly said. Khorasan was now part of Arabia's territory. In the Arabian Empire, which spanned more than ten million square kilometers, Khorasan was definitely one of its core regions. It was possible to gather information that the Tang dynasty could not.
"In addition, the Arabs are warlike by nature and cannot accept defeat. You have already stimulated their ambition to conquer the east. Many Arab governors are already paying attention to this place. If you cannot hold Talas and completely defeat Qutaybah and Abu Muslim, then many more governors will follow. Their soldiers will continue to pour into the east until they conquer the entire eastern world. "
Rumble! The Khorasani's words immediately set off a massive uproar in the hall.
"Bastard!"
"These Arabs are too arrogant. Do they think that the Tang dynasty is one of those small countries they've encountered before?"
"If not for Goguryeo, Ouzan, Mengshe Zhao, and the Eastern and Western Turkic Khaganates holding them back, would the Tang dynasty be unable to deal with Abu Muslim?"
"Arabia has many governors, but does the Tang dynasty not have any other Great Generals?! The Crown Prince's Grand Guardian Wang Zhongsi is still in the capital, the Tongluo still has twenty thousand elite cavalry, and the capital has one hundred thousand Imperial Army soldiers … Does the Arabs think that the Tang dynasty is one of those small countries?! If it weren't for the fact that we can't mobilize our soldiers, the Arabs would be nothing! "
… …
The generals in the hall were seething with rage. Only Wang Chong and Gao Xianzhi remained silent, their hearts heavy. The Tang dynasty did not lack soldiers, nor did it lack top-class Great Generals. The anger of these generals also illustrated the predicament that the Tang dynasty was in: it had far too many enemies.
Eighty percent of the six hundred thousand soldiers and Great Generals of the Tang Dynasty were tied up on the border.
The people of the Central Plains were farmers, completely different from the nomadic tribes of the Turks and Arabs. The armies of the Central Plains were primarily defensive, and their greater responsibility was to protect the ordinary people who farmed. They were not like the Turks and Arabs, who lived and died in battle, whose mission was to expand and conquer.
The Arabs could mobilize a large number of soldiers in a single battle, sixty to eighty percent of their forces. But the Tang dynasty was different. It was already quite impressive that they could mobilize two Imperial Great Generals for a war on the border. This was a fact that had not changed in Wang Chong's memories, not even after several thousand years had passed.
"How do you wish for us to work together?"
Wang Chong suddenly asked, his voice solemn.
Wang Chong had never interacted with the Khorasani before, but Wang Chong had heard of them.
The Khorasani were brave, warlike, and fearless of death. The fact that they were able to stubbornly resist decades after being conquered by the Arabs was proof enough.
In the areas conquered by the Arabs, this sort of situation was extremely rare.
"In Khorasan, our Sassanid Dynasty still has one last force, around eight thousand Aswaran Cataphracts. This is the strongest force of our Sassanid Dynasty and the force that the Arabs most desire to find and destroy. The reason they mobilized the Mamelukes is to deal with our Aswaran Cataphracts. "
After a few moments of silence, the tall and thin Khorasani suddenly said something that no one expected.
"Towards the end of the Arab conquest of our Sassanid Dynasty, the Emperor, for the sake of restoring the dynasty, personally ordered the Aswaran Cataphracts to go into hiding. Thus, even after the fall of the empire, the Arabs were never able to find this legendary force of heavy cavalry of the Sassanid Dynasty. This was a sore point for the Caliph. In the last few decades, no matter how many soldiers the Arabs have stationed in Khorasan, we have always been able to deal them a heavy blow.
"The Aswaran Cataphracts are our last force and cannot be mobilized lightly. But if you can defeat the Arabs at Talas, defeat Qutaybah, Abu Muslim, and Osman, we can mobilize the Aswaran Cataphracts and coordinate with you to deal them a heavy blow when they retreat! "
"Boom!"
The moment the tall and thin Khorasani spoke, the voice of the Stone of Destiny rang out in Wang Chong's ears.
"Side mission, Aswaran Cataphracts, begin!
"This is the last force of the Sassanid Dynasty and the greatest reliance of the Khorasani. It has been tempered by fire and blood, and it has achieved countless glories. This is the last bloodline of a dynasty.
"User has defeated Abu Muslim and dealt a heavy blow to the Arabs, drawing their attention. This is the last hope of the Khorasani. The Khorasani wish to ally with the Tang Dynasty, but they are also cautious. Only by completing the second mission and defeating the Arabs will user be able to obtain the final trust of the Khorasani. In the future, this will be user's firmest ally in the Western Regions and the Cong Mountains!
"For mission success, user will be rewarded with 2000 points of Destiny Energy and the assistance of the legendary Aswaran Cataphracts. For mission failure, 4000 points of Destiny Energy will be deducted. In addition, the World Shackles will be added to the list!
"Note: there is only one chance. If the mission fails, user will no longer have any contact with the Khorasani. This is the first and last time that the Khorasani will extend an olive branch of goodwill to the Tang Dynasty. "
… …
The voice continued to howl down like a waterfall, but no one but Wang Chong could hear it.
Wang Chong stood there in a daze, completely dumbfounded. This was not because of the Stone of Destiny's voice, but because of the information it had revealed.
The Aswaran Cataphracts!
They could definitely rank in the top three of the continent's cavalry. As a nomadic and warlike people, the Sassanid Dynasty shared many similarities with the Arabian Empire, including the strength of their cavalry. Before Wang Chong ascended to the position of Grand Marshal of the world and became the War Saint, he had read about the various factions and civilizations, including the fallen Sassanid Dynasty.
The strongest cavalry of the Sassanid Dynasty were the Aswaran Cataphracts, just like the Mamelukes of the Arabian Empire. The two were different methods of achieving the same result, and they were equally powerful in battle. There was even a rumor that the Mamelukes had borrowed a lot of inspiration from the nearby Aswaran Cataphracts of the Sassanid Dynasty.
This was because the Aswaran Cataphracts had been established and flourished much earlier than the Mamelukes!
But in Wang Chong's understanding, this most powerful force of the Sassanid Dynasty had vanished decades ago, buried in the dust of history. But Wang Chong had never imagined that he would hear news of the Aswaran Cataphracts in this manner.
Wang Chong said nothing, only glanced at Gao Xianzhi, both of them seeing the same meaning in each other's eyes.
The Tang Dynasty had just experienced a major war in the southwest and was currently short on soldiers. No matter what sort of request the Khorasani had, it would have no effect on the Tang Dynasty. Moreover, if they could obtain the help of these Khorasani, they would be able to plant a nail in the heart of the Arabian Empire, allowing them to obtain at any time a large amount of information and information that the Tang Dynasty currently lacked.
"Yuanqing, make arrangements to take him away and receive him well! In addition, Sir Yuan, please tell him that we agree to his request for an alliance. I am confident that the Tang Dynasty and the Sassanid Dynasty will be able to establish a firm friendship. "
"Yes!"
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