"Kill!"
From all directions, countless sabers and axes flashed with a cold light, and at the same time, they chopped down at an astonishing speed. Even the Crimson Moon Vanguard couldn't help but grimace in the face of this incredible reaction and teamwork.
As the vanguard under Qutaybah's command, they had encountered many powerful foes, but no matter how powerful they had been, they had always been able to create a considerable amount of chaos in the enemy ranks, creating opportunities for the army in the rear. But these Tang people from the east were completely different from any opponent they had encountered before.
Although their warhorses had charged through the defense line, they had been surrounded in less than a second, unable to use their charge. They had never even imagined such a situation, much less encountered one.
Clangclangclang! Sabers flashed and swords flashed, and in the blink of an eye, the Crimson Moon Vanguard began to battle with ten-some axemen. Their scarlet scimitars left bloody trails in the air as they clashed with the sabers and axes around them. Amidst the ear-piercing sound of metal, the huge axes and sabers collided with the Crimson Moon Scimitar, immediately leaving huge nicks on the blades. Even the heavy armor of the axe-wielders was split open, and blood splashed everywhere.
Under the attack of the Crimson Moon Scimitar, several executioners retreated with serious injuries. But the Crimson Moon Vanguard also began to fall to the enemy's attacks.
The Governor of War, Qutaybah, clad in golden armor and shrouded in golden light beneath the blazing infernal flame banner, couldn't help but frown, but he said nothing. At the same time, far away, Wang Chong's eyes were also twitching.
He had not interfered in this battle, only been observing. This Arab army of the northern war zone was far more formidable than he had imagined. Their attacks, defense-piercing abilities, and ferocity had all reached astonishing levels. There was no doubt that this would be the greatest test the Tang Dynasty would ever face.
"Milord, should we send out the Mo Saber Unit?"
The Anxi Protectorate army's number three commander, Xi Yuanqing, stopped his horse at Wang Chong's side and spoke. The Arab attacks came in wave after wave, swift and fierce, and the Crimson Moon Vanguard was only the tip of the iceberg. This made everyone, including Cheng Qianli and Xi Yuanqing, feel an enormous pressure.
This was something that hadn't happened in the first phase of the battle.
"No need!"
Wang Chong shook his head. His eyes were as calm as water, and there was not the slightest fluctuation in them.
"Now is not the time to use the Mo Saber Squad. Inform the armies of Greater and Lesser Balur, as well as the front column, to prepare to attack! In addition, inform the second platoon of shieldbearers to be ready to replace them at any time. The third platoon of shieldbearers should be on standby at any time! What was hard was easy to break. The Arabs had come with all this momentum, and this was the moment when their momentum was at its sharpest. At this time, we should focus on exhausting their spirit. It's not advisable to engage in a large-scale battle with them! "
"Yes!"
A hint of respect flashed through Xi Yuanqing's eyes as he left to carry out the order. After defeating the Behemoth Army, Wang Chong's reputation in the Anxi Protectorate army was like the noon sun, no less than that of Gao Xianzhi. From top to bottom, even Protector-General Gao Xianzhi treated him with the utmost respect, let alone the others.
As the winds howled and surged, Wang Chong looked at the endless sea of Arabs, a slight ripple of emotion in his eyes.
In the art of war, there were illusions and realities. Not only did it involve changes in battle tactics, but it also involved changes in strategy.
The Arabs had far too many soldiers. Sometimes, not just in terms of quality, but in numbers could also exert enormous pressure. Moreover, the Arabs had been marching day and night, and this was the moment when their momentum was at its peak. At this moment, it was simply unwise to engage in direct confrontation with them. The best course of action was to maintain a stalemate and take the initiative to defend, wearing down the enemy's spirit as best as it could be. This was the principle of 'the first spurt of energy, the second wane, and the third exhaustion'!
The third column of shieldmen that Wang Chong had selected from the elites of the Anxi Protectorate army had been formed to carry out this strategy.
"Buzz!"
Wang Chong quickly regained his composure and looked forward. The armor there rumbled as Wang Chong's order was quickly carried out.
"Release!"
With a heaven-shaking roar, the upright figures of the infantry in front of the army began to pull on the mechanisms on the walls. Rumble! In that instant, the earth quaked and the air shrieked. The seemingly ordinary wall of steel, which had only been used for defense, suddenly became riddled with holes. Hundreds of thousands of arrows suddenly shot out from behind the first line of defense.
The beehives!
Although the walls had long ago been equipped with these concentrated firing weapons, Wang Chong had not used them. Only when the Arabs reached the walls did he suddenly unleash them.
The Arabs were different from any of his previous opponents. Their forging skills were far superior, and in some aspects, they had even surpassed the Tang Dynasty in forging steel.
The beehives had a short range, far inferior to the ballistae, and the farther away they were, the less powerful they were. Thus, Wang Chong had learned his lesson and had not used any of the beehives in the Arab charge. Only when the Arabs and the Tang Dynasty clashed did the first defense line become a sea of Arabs. They were almost face-to-face with the beehives on the walls, with not the slightest gap between them. At this distance, the beehives were at their strongest. Only now did Wang Chong use this king of short-range weapons.
Thudthudthud!
In the blink of an eye, hundreds of thousands of arrows had struck the Arab soldiers at the very front. Each warhorse had been hit by forty to fifty ballista bolts. At such a short distance, even metal could be shot through, much less warhorses.
Neeeigh! Thud! Thud! The sounds of horses falling to the ground filled the air as the Arab cavalry in front of the steel walls fell to the ground. In just a few seconds, Arab corpses had piled up in front of the steel walls, their blood staining the earth.
Bang!
The Arab soldiers in the rear were in an uproar at this sight. When the hundreds of thousands of arrows covered the sky and the earth, everyone was stunned.
"How … how could this be?"
"How could the east have such a terrifying weapon!"
"It's too inconceivable! Just what is that!"
… …
All the Arab soldiers in the rear were stunned. The appearance of this weapon had been far too sudden. No one had ever encountered such a weapon before. These eastern ballista bolts fired from the steel walls were unimaginably exquisite, and for the first time, these proud and conceited Arab warriors felt an intense sense of mystery.
Although the Arabs were extremely skilled at forging, they had never created such a powerful weapon of mass destruction.
The Arab soldiers who had been transferred from other war zones in this eastern expedition had originally viewed this so-called eastern world, this so-called Tang Dynasty, with a lofty attitude. But after seeing these things, the last bit of arrogance in their hearts had dissipated. No matter what the truth of these Tang Dynasty people was, there was one thing that could be confirmed …
These 'Tang people' of Talas were definitely a formidable foe that could not be underestimated.
"How could this be? Abu Muslim, why didn't you mention this in your reports?"
Governor Osman of Cairo finally couldn't help but ask under the black banner of the Nile.
Abu Muslim said nothing, but Ziyad had an embarrassed look on his face. In truth, he had already given them all this information on the Tang Dynasty in his letters, but Osman, Aybak, and Qutaybah had all been too conceited and arrogant to carefully read them.
In the end, these governors had never fought with the Tang Dynasty, so no matter how detailed the letters had been, they could not compare to experiencing it for themselves.
On the other side, Osman was startled by the two's reactions. However, he quickly recovered from his shock and became speechless.
"Even the strongest weapon can't replace soldiers. It's just a measly sixty thousand soldiers. If we send even more soldiers, I don't believe that they can make much of a splash."
Aybak's voice came from the rear.
Arabia had never been a country that cherished the lives of its soldiers. As long as they could achieve their goal and subdue the Tang people, the deaths of a few more soldiers were no big deal. Whether it was Aybak, Osman, or Abu Muslim, none of them were commanders who treated their soldiers like their own children. This was completely different from the commanders of the Central Plains.
In the Battle of Khorasan, the Arabs had paid an enormous price to subdue the remnants of the Sassanid Dynasty, but these three commanders had not hesitated in the slightest. They had not even creased their brows.
"Kill!"
Aybak's order was quickly carried out. The four commanders did not hesitate, and the vast sea of Arab soldiers once more roared and pressed forward. More and more soldiers rushed towards the first line of defense like water flooding a golden mountain.
Rumble! The earth quaked and the mountains swayed as the only sound in the sky above Talas became the only sound. Even though the beehives were extremely powerful, they were still far from being able to deal any significant damage to the more than four hundred thousand soldiers of the Arab army.
Bangbangbang! Countless Arab soldiers pushed through the attacks of the beehives and charged forward. Not only that, the cavalry within the ranks of the Arab army swiftly responded.
With a thump, the Arab corpses on the ground were tossed into the air by the cavalry and smashed into the spikes of the steel walls.
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