Hyderabad ore was extremely rare and produced at a very low rate. Because of its unique characteristics, it had become a target for the remnants of the dynasties conquered by Arabia to attack and plunder. The Arabs had not yet reached the level of the Tang Dynasty's use of Hyderabad ore, but through long experiments, they had gradually developed a method to temper Hyderabad ore and fuse it with other metals, greatly increasing their sharpness.
Although the weapons forged through this method could not reach the level of the Tang Dynasty's WuZi Steel swords that could even cut through the Skyquaking Army's dark green God Armor, they had already surpassed almost all the Arabian swords and sabers of the past, reaching an even higher level of sharpness.
Even if the weapons forged through this method could not compare to the weapons of the WuZi Steel swords of the Mamelukes, even if they could not compare to the weapons of the WuZi Steel swords!
At the very least, Aybak and Faisal were completely convinced.
Gallop!
After taking care of everything, just when Aybak was preparing to leave, he heard the galloping of hooves. A horseman suddenly charged into the courtyard.
"Stop!"
Fierce shouts echoed through the air as Mamelukes surged in from all directions, their sharp auras locking onto the intruder. At the outermost perimeter of the courtyard, ten-some Mamelukes stood in his way. The four sides cooperated, and in a flash, the intruder was caught in a deadlock.
Saber lights flashed and clanging sounds rang out incessantly. It would only take a moment for the intruder to die on the spot. Suddenly, Aybak glanced at the golden robe on the intruder's body, and his face instantly paled.
"Stop!"
For a moment, time seemed to freeze. All the drawn scimitars were suspended in the air, and the ten-some Mamelukes all stopped. Aybak had already descended from the stairs to meet the intruder.
The Caliph's messenger!
These knights wearing golden robes embroidered with complex designs were the messengers of the Caliph of the Arabian Empire. Every single one of them was a carefully selected and extremely loyal expert. They would only appear when they were carrying out extremely important missions that the Caliph of the Empire placed great importance on.
"Aybak!"
The golden-robed knight called out Aybak's name from atop his horse, his robes flapping in the wind. His face was covered with a silvery-white mask that was full of tiny bee holes. He looked down from above and his voice was extremely cold.
"The Caliph has decreed that the Tang people of Talas must be destroyed. Once we succeed, the Mamelukes will work with Governors Qutaybah, Abu Muslim, and Osman to continue eastward. Once we conquer the entire eastern world, the Mamelukes will obtain the Promised Land as their eternal fiefdom!"
Khalifa's messenger was concise and to the point, stating the purpose of his visit in one sentence.
Swoosh!
In an instant, the atmosphere in the backyard of the City Lord's Mansion changed. Before Aybak could speak, the second-in-command of the Mamelukes, Faisal, and the other Mamelukes in the rear paled.
The Promised Land!
This was the greatest desire of all the Mamelukes, but it had never been fulfilled. The Mamelukes were known as the strongest warriors of Arabia, the most loyal force, and they had rendered great service. Any other army or commander would have already been given their own fiefdom in the Arabian Empire. But the Mamelukes, for certain reasons from long ago, were restricted by an ancient imperial law and could not be rewarded.
Thus, even though the Mamelukes were as famous as the midday sun and possessed peerless fighting power, they were like duckweed, running from place to place wherever there was war. They would never have a root.
If they had a 'Promised Land', the Mamelukes would be able to recruit soldiers, station troops, train soldiers, collect taxes, manage businesses … they could even breed descendants, creating a massive Mameluke city. The Mamelukes would be able to break through the limit of ten thousand soldiers and reach an unprecedented golden age.
This was the dream of all the Mamelukes!
"Milord!"
In the blink of an eye, the eyes of all the Mamelukes became fervent. Even Faisal found it hard to maintain his composure. He immediately stepped forward from the rear, his breathing becoming ragged. No one had expected the Caliph to place so much importance on the east, much less for him to be willing to break convention and offer such conditions for the sake of conquering the east.
"Aybak, this is His Majesty's token. With this token, the Caliph will keep his word. Take it!"
The golden-robed Caliph's messenger took out a black crescent moon shaped metal token covered in many hollow carvings and threw it over.
"However, the Caliph has also sent word that this eastern expedition is the only chance for the Mamelukes to obtain the Promised Land. If we cannot pacify Talas and the east, all the Mamelukes will forever be slaves and will never be able to obtain the Promised Land!"
"Buzz!"
Aybak and Faisal, the two highest commanders of the Mamelukes, trembled in shock, their expressions turning grave.
"Your subordinate understands!"
The two lowered their heads.
… …
Time slowly passed. In Khorasan, the Arab craftsmen worked day and night to forge the Mamelukes' newest Meteoric Star armor. Meanwhile, on the front lines, Abu Muslim was doing his utmost to restrain his army, avoiding any conflict with the Tang Dynasty as he waited for the two governors and the Mamelukes to arrive.
Every day, there would be new news, and every day, countless soldiers would travel from Cairo and Tarsus to Khorasan to meet up with the Mamelukes and then head to the Black Forest to meet up with Abu Muslim.
Meanwhile, in the distant Talas, tens of thousands of Tang soldiers were training day and night, their fires blazing and plumes of smoke billowing into the air. And no one knew that a group of nearly ten thousand soldiers, selected from the Anxi Protectorate army, Qixi Protectorate army, and the mercenaries of the various tribes, had formed the world's first 'Mo Saber Army', and were currently in the middle of training.
Every day, Talas would take on a new atmosphere.
Under Wang Chong's command, all the soldiers of the Tang Dynasty were preparing for battle.
Several dozen li away, Duwusili was training day and night in the formation phenomena, using its lightning to temper himself and increase his strength so that he could reach an even higher level.
Twenty li away, the Ouzan camp was calm, and Dalun Ruozan was leisurely sipping tea in his tent. But no one knew that across the Cong Mountains, across the Western Regions, and onto the distant Ouzan Plateau, a new Ouzan army of around forty thousand soldiers was gathering from the various great clans and nobles of the plateau to prepare for Talas.
Although the four empires and the three forces looked calm on the surface and restrained each other, in private, the undercurrents were more dangerous and treacherous than ever before!
War could erupt at any moment.
While the clouds of war were gathering over Talas, in the distant Central Plains, in the capital of the Great Tang, a different mood was taking place. In the Imperial Court, the debate over Talas had reached a fever pitch. Gao Xianzhi's and Wang Chong's memorials to increase the number of soldiers had never been passed.
"Your Majesty, this subject objects!"
In the court, the Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, Zheng Chengli, who had white hair at his temples and was past his prime, walked out of the ranks with a ceremonial tablet in his hand.
"Since ancient times, I've only heard of reinforcements after defeat, but never of reinforcements after victory. Moreover, the Imperial Court deploys soldiers every year, spending an enormous sum. Last year, the Bureau of Military Personnel spent eighty million dan of grain, ten million head of cattle and sheep, and 2.4 million feet of cloth. Last year, the Bureau of Military Personnel spent ninety-four million dan of grain, seventeen million head of cattle and sheep, and 3.6 million feet of cloth. This year, the expenditure will only be even greater, and this does not even include the pensions for the soldiers killed in battle.
"The six hundred thousand soldiers of the Tang Dynasty are frequently engaged in foreign wars, consuming vast amounts of the national treasury. They have already become a heavy burden on the Tang Dynasty and its people!
"Not only that, the frequent wars have inflicted grievous casualties on the soldiers. In order to replenish the soldiers on the borders, we can only conscript soldiers from the common people. This lowly subject happened to learn that in some places, because the soldiers are of excellent quality, the army has been conscripted year after year, and there is even a rare phenomenon where the fields are in short supply! "
"Correct!"
Assistant Minister of Revenue Zheng Chengli had barely finished speaking when the Grand Chamberlain, Zhou Taiqin, gripping his ceremonial tablet, strode out from another line of ranks.
"This lowly subject has just returned from patrolling the East River and passed through Luzhou. There is a village called Zhouzhuang. On the way, I saw that besides the old, the weak, the women, and the children, there was not a single man in the village. This lowly subject was surprised and went forward to inquire. In the end, I learned that all the men in Zhouzhuang had been conscripted into the army. Two years ago, Beiting suffered a defeat in a battle against the Eastern Turkic Khaganate, resulting in ninety percent of the men in the village dying in that battle. The remaining ten percent or so of the men have been conscripted to other places, including the Anxi Protectorate. "
"Although the matter of Zhouzhuang is only an example, it is a microcosm of the Tang Dynasty. The Anxi Protectorate already consumes a great deal of the national treasury each year, and the Central Plains sends innumerable soldiers each year. Now, Talas needs to be mobilized. Does the situation in Luzhou have to spread throughout the Tang Dynasty, and even children are being dragged into the battlefield? This subject requests that the soldiers of Anxi and Qixi Prefectures withdraw to the interior! "
Zhou Taiqin's voice was harsh and stern. These words caused the many civil officials in the court to agree.
"Correct, this subject agrees!"
"This subject agrees!"
"This subject agrees!"
… …
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
