The soldiers under Qutaybah's command were the vanguard of this battle, and they were also the most experienced soldiers on the battlefield. Even though this was their first time seeing the beehives, all of them had almost instantly found the best way to deal with them.
The Arabs, who viewed war and conquest as their mission, had no such thing as comradeship. As long as they could help win the war, they would show no mercy, even if the corpses of their soldiers were turned into porcupines.
Thudthudthud! One corpse after another was thrown forward, and in the blink of an eye, more than half of the beehives had been cut off.
"Damn it!"
The Tang Dynasty generals behind the first defense line all paled at this sight. The Arabs had reacted far too quickly, and their methods were cruel and merciless, completely unexpected. In just a few seconds, these powerful beehives had essentially been crippled. None of them had ever imagined that such a thing could happen.
"Kill them!"
No matter how the Tang Dynasty reacted, the moment the beehives were stopped, the Arab cavalry began to press forward like a swarm of locusts.
"Neigh!"
The first defense line was once more hit by a storm of attacks, and the pressure on everyone's shoulders increased.
"Pikemen, attack!"
A loud and clear voice rang out from the front lines, speaking not in Han, but in Greater and Lesser Balur.
Bang!
Tens of thousands of pikemen of Greater and Lesser Balur suddenly stepped forward, the sharp spears in their hands piercing through the gaps in the defense line to stab at the shieldmen in the first line. Plushplushplush! Blood spurted out as the most formidable pikemen of Greater and Lesser Balur displayed their most powerful ability to pierce through armor.
One sharp spear after another pierced through the armor of the Arab cavalry, stabbing into their vitals. Plushplushplush! The pikemen lashed out again, and the Arab cavalry and their horses began to fall to the ground.
Greater and Lesser Balur were only small kingdoms in the Western Regions, but even these small kingdoms had their own unique traits. Back then, in order to hire these spearmen, Wang Chong had paid a large sum of money. Of the ten million taels of gold allocated by the imperial court, a considerable part was given to Greater and Lesser Balur, and the power of the spearmen was fully displayed at this time. But no matter how formidable the spearmen were, they could not stop the frenzied Arab assault.
At the very front of the defensive line, all the shield soldiers were under unimaginable pressure. The muscles on their shoulders were bulging, and the veins were bulging as if they were about to jump out. Their thighs trembled, every muscle jumping. All of the shield soldiers clenched their teeth, their foreheads dripping with sweat.
The consumption of Stellar Energy was secondary. The consumption of physical strength was the most unbearable. Every shield soldier suffered an unimaginable amount of attacks every second.
"Second platoon, forward!"
Wang Chong waved his hand and waved the flag. The second platoon's shield bearers immediately rushed forward and smashed their shields into the ground. The shieldmen of the first platoon seemed to be relieved of a heavy burden, and they began to skillfully retreat, their armor drenched in cold sweat.
The three platoons had practiced the rotation of the shieldmen countless times, and they could seamlessly and without any problems.
"Third platoon, forward!"
A few moments later, with another order, the Anxi Protectorate army infantry began to replace the shieldbearers. Wave after wave of shieldbearers was replaced, with one group on the front line, one resting, and one waiting for orders. Everything proceeded in an orderly fashion.
Through this method, the first defense line was able to barely hold against the storm of Arab attacks.
"Rumble!"
Just when the battle was at its most intense, a massive boom came from the center of the Arab formation.
"Marquis, look!"
A voice came from the side. Xue Qianjun's eyes suddenly widened as he stared ahead.
Wang Chong said nothing as he followed Xue Qianjun's gaze. In the rear of the Arab formation, he saw that something unexpected had occurred.
Huge silver-white machines that were more than three meters wide and taller than a person could be seen. Behind each silver-white machine, there were seven to ten people escorting them as they drove towards the first defense line.
These silver weapons appeared extremely heavy, and they made a particularly loud noise as they moved. Although he didn't know what they were, Wang Chong's eyes twitched as he instinctively sensed that something was wrong.
"Inform Chen Bin to move out quickly!"
Wang Chong immediately ordered without turning his head.
Creak! Creak!
Almost at the same time, Chen Bin, who was standing on the military transport vehicle, also noticed the silver-white equipment. His expression was solemn, and his long hair danced rapidly in the air.
"Release!"
A sword swung down, leaving a faint scar in the air. Following Chen Bin's order, the more than one thousand Tang Dynasty ballistae began to change directions. Boomboomboom! There was a metallic clattering as the ballista bolts struck the silver weapons of the Arab army like dragons emerging from the sea.
There was a series of rumbling sounds of steel. Although the dense crossbow bolts hit the silver-white machines, they were quickly blocked, and not even a dent was left on them. Only thirty to forty Arab soldiers escorting the silver weapons were caught off guard and pierced through by the ballista bolts, dropping to the ground.
"Adjust the scales to fifteen. Take aim at the soldiers escorting the silver weapons. Release!"
Chen Bin's eyes flashed with cold light as he changed tactics. Plushplushplush!
Plushplushplush! The ballista bolts showed their effects once more. Screams filled the air as more than two thousand Arab soldiers transporting the silver weapons were shot to death. The ballista bolts did not stop there, killing another three thousand Arab soldiers.
"Defend!"
Shouts in Arabic resounded over the battlefield. Just as the soldiers escorting the silver-white equipment fell to the ground, the huge silver-white equipment began to change rapidly.
Amidst the screeching sounds of gears, an enormous silver plate popped out from the left wing, followed by the right wing, and then the top. Soon after, countless fan-shaped steel plates shot out, shielding both the silver weapons and the soldiers behind them.
Behind them, countless Arab soldiers began to pour in from the rear. Even some of the cavalry galloping past dismounted and gathered behind the silver weapons.
More than two thousand Arab soldiers escorting the silver weapons had been killed, but even more were pouring in. Not only that, the massive and mysterious silver weapons began to move faster and faster as the Arab soldiers pushed them forward …
They were getting closer and closer to the first defense line.
"Wushang Cavalry, get ready!"
Wang Chong's eyes widened as he immediately ordered.
"Iron Wall Army, get ready!"
At almost the same time, another voice came from nearby. Gao Xianzhi had a solemn expression on his face as he gave the same order. He looked forward with an extremely grave expression. Just like Wang Chong, he also sensed an immense danger from these silver weapons.
Whoosh!
The silver weapons in the rear of the Arab army were getting faster and faster, getting closer and closer to the steel walls. The air was instantly fraught with tension. The rumbling of the wheels seemed to weigh heavily on the hearts of the Arabs.
In front of the first defense line, Wang Chong and Gao Xianzhi stood to the left and right, their expressions extremely grave.
On the other end of the battlefield, beneath the black banner of flame, the Governor of War, Qutaybah, was riding his massive warhorse, his golden halo shrouding him. But as the silver weapons advanced, a sharp and cold light flashed through Qutaybah's eyes.
As the governor of Arabia, Qutaybah had spent almost his entire life at war. In his life, he had encountered all sorts of opponents and all sorts of defensive measures. Tall walls, sturdy fortresses, layers of heavy shields, and all sorts of familiar and unfamiliar, strange and ordinary war machines.
In the face of Arabia and the Governor of War, Qutaybah's edge, many opponents had chosen to defend, hoping to wear down the Arabs in a defensive battle, just like the Tang. But in the end, not a single faction or empire had been able to survive against the battle-hardened Qutaybah.
Qutaybah had found a way to deal with any tactic or opponent.
To deal with those defensive opponents who refused to come out, Qutaybah had ordered the imperial craftsmen to build a special kind of siege weapon.
The Silver Behemoths!
In other words, these huge silver-white war machines in front of them!
"Rumble!"
In the disturbing noises, the enormous silver machines were getting closer and closer to the iron defense line under the cover of the army. Finally, boom. After an earth-shattering noise, if one were to look down from the sky, they would be able to see an enormous rectangular iron hammer dashing out of the silver machines like a tongue. Under the effect of the heavy machinery, it carried a terrifying force and fiercely crashed into a steel wall in front of it.
"Ah!"
A moment later, all the Tang Dynasty soldiers felt their breaths stop. The previously incomparably heavy and indestructible steel wall suddenly trembled, and was instantly sent flying by a tremendous force. Even the shield bearers and spear bearers behind them were sent flying into the sky like pieces of paper. After drawing an arc in the air, they fell heavily into the army more than two hundred feet away.
Boomboomboom!
One silver weapon after another moved to stand in front of the steel walls, and one mallet after another shot out. In the blink of an eye, the Silver Behemoths that Qutaybah had brought with him from the north had sent one steel wall after another flying into the air like pieces of paper.
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