In the battles of the Beiting Protectorate, the Qixi Protectorate, and now, at the Battle of Talas, Su Hanshan had always been at the forefront, fighting alongside everyone else.
Although they were of lowly status, Su Hanshan had always been willing to argue on their behalf. In Su Hanshan's heart, they were not subordinates, but brothers.
A drop of water should be repaid with a spring of water. Su Hanshan treated them as his brothers, and they all treated Su Hanshan as their brother and family. As long as he did not retreat, they would not make a sound, even if their heads were chopped off.
"Everyone, get ready!"
Boom! Once all the ballista soldiers were in position, a large banner was thrust into the ground, shattering countless layers of rock. The black-armored guard gripped the Nine Dragon Blood War Banner as he slowly advanced from the rear of the army.
The moment the black-armored guard moved out, the heavens began to change color. Around the black-armored guard, the Divine Martial Army, the Divine Prison Army, the Dragon Stallion Army … the best cavalry of the Tang Dynasty began to advance according to a special formation. An enormous oppressive force surged out like a tide.
The appearance of the Nine Dragon Blood War Banner and the best soldiers of the Tang Dynasty caused the air to grow tense. Even the Arab soldiers on the other side of the battlefield began to show nervous expressions. Yesterday's battle was still fresh in their minds, and the army they were facing was the most terrifying killing machine in the world.
Gallop! Gallop!
As the mood on the battlefield grew tenser and tenser, the clattering of hooves came from the distance. This sudden development immediately attracted everyone's attention. As the Arab army parted, a figure mounted on a spotlessly white highland steed rode out from beneath the six massive war banners.
Dalun Ruozan!
Wang Chong's eyes widened in recognition.
At almost the same time, Dalun Ruozan pulled on the reins of his horse, his wise and profound eyes sweeping over Talas before settling on Wang Chong atop the White-hoofed Shadow.
"Wang Chong, Gao Xianzhi, do you dare come forward!"
Dalun Ruozan's eyes flashed as his loud voice came from the western side of the battlefield.
Wang Chong and Go Seonji glanced at each other, then pulled on the reins of their horses and walked out from behind the tall steel walls.
On the other side, Abu Muslim saw Gao Xianzhi walk out from beneath the black Arab war banner. Without waiting for Dalun Ruozan to speak, he urged his horse forward. The four main instigators of the Battle of Talas stared at each other on the battlefield, the mood instantly turning strange.
"Dalun Ruozan, we've already fought to this point. Have you still not given up?"
Wang Chong rode on the White-hoofed Shadow as he stared at Dalun Ruozan. The breeze caused Wang Chong's hair to dance in the wind. After one battle after another, Wang Chong's eyes were filled with determination, completely different from before. If one didn't know the ins and outs of this battle, no one would have believed that one of the commanders of this enormous battle would be a seventeen-year-old youth.
"Hahaha, the winner is king, and the loser is in the wrong. This battle is still not over. Until the final moment, who can say who will be the victor and who will be the loser? "
Dalun Ruozan sighed.
"You won't have the chance, and we won't give you the chance. Dalun Ruozan, Ouzan has already lost. Even if you collude with the Arabs and form another alliance, what's the point? You'll only lose more miserably. "
Gao Xianzhi's voice came from the side.
Gao Xianzhi didn't know much about Dalun Ruozan, nor had they interacted much, but there was no doubt that Dalun Ruozan had been a crucial figure in this battle.
If not for him, the Tang Dynasty and Arabia's war would not have been so complicated. At the very least, in the first phase, the Tang Dynasty would not have had to face enemies from both front and back. Moreover, several of Ouzan's Imperial Great Generals posed an enormous threat to the Tang Dynasty. One could say that it was precisely Dalun Ruozan's ambition that had caused each side to suffer grievous losses.
At this point in the battle, although the Tang Dynasty had managed to defeat the three-sided alliance, the Tang Dynasty, the Arabs, Ouzan, and the Western Turks had all suffered grievous losses.
"Haha, Protector-General Gao, don't be so confident. Until the final moments of this battle, how can you know that the Tang Dynasty will be the final victor? Wang Chong, in the war of the southwest, I lost to you with four hundred thousand soldiers, and in this war, I command nearly five hundred thousand soldiers. How about we make a bet before this final battle? "
The first part of Dalun Ruozan's words was directed at Gao Xianzhi, but the last part was directed at Wang Chong.
In his mind, he had always been brooding over the war of the southwest, and he would never be able to forget Wang Chong, who had stood at Gao Xianzhi's side.
If not for Wang Chong, Dalun Ruozan would still be the high-spirited Prime Minister of the Ngari Royal Lineage. If not for Wang Chong, Dalun Ruozan would not have been defeated again and again, ending up at Talas and submitting to the Arabs, hoping to use the Arabs to defeat the Tang Dynasty.
As a ruthless and ambitious person, how could he be so subservient?
"A bet?"
Wang Chong's eyes narrowed and his heart began to thump. He could sense a special meaning in Dalun Ruozan's voice.
"What do you want to bet?"
"Haha, this will be the final battle between us, so why don't we make an agreement? Until one side is completely defeated and all its soldiers are exhausted, neither side is allowed to retreat. And the losing side will never be able to leave their country, much less enter the territory of the other side. What do you say? "
With these words, Dalun Ruozan's eyes suddenly turned sharp.
"Of course, you can also refuse!"
The entire battlefield was eerily still as everyone looked at Wang Chong, even Gao Xianzhi. Wang Chong said nothing, only sized up Dalun Ruozan. Dalun Ruozan was calm and unruffled, a faint smile on his lips. It seemed like he wasn't worried that Wang Chong would not agree.
"Ha! As you wish! "
Wang Chong said without hesitation.
Whether it was the Tang Dynasty or the Arabs, there was no way out. Dalun Ruozan's words were not meant for Wang Chong, but for himself. There was no question that he had already made up his mind to fight to the death with the Tang Dynasty. Thus, whether Wang Chong agreed or not made no difference to Dalun Ruozan.
Wang Chong and Dalun Ruozan were mortal enemies. Sooner or later, a victor would be decided, either in life or in death.
The moment Wang Chong and Dalun Ruozan finished their conversation, Abu Muslim spoke. Unlike Dalun Ruozan, he only had eyes for Gao Xianzhi. This long war had begun because of the two of them, and in the end, it would end with the two of them.
"Gao Xianzhi! How about we also make an agreement? If the Arabs lose this battle, I will immediately lead the army west, return to Khorasan, and spend the rest of my life there. For ten years, the Arabs will not set foot in Talas, much less covet the Central Plains. And if you lose … "
"If the Tang Dynasty loses this battle, this Gao will retreat wherever the Arab soldiers go and never make an enemy of Arabia!"
Before Abu Muslim could finish speaking, Gao Xianzhi had already spoken in a forceful voice.
"Okay! It's a deal! "
Abu Muslim's eyes flashed as he turned his horse around and rode back to the army.
If Dalun Ruozan's mortal enemy was Wang Chong, then Abu Muslim's mortal enemy was Anxi Protector-General Gao Xianzhi.
The two had been fighting for three or four months, and even now, Abu Muslim had to admit that Gao Xianzhi was the strongest and most troublesome foe he had ever faced in his life.
Even if he couldn't kill Gao Xianzhi in this battle, this gambling duel was enough to cripple a powerful Imperial Great General of the Tang Dynasty and remove a powerful foe for the Arabs.
"Let's go!"
Gao Xianzhi called out to Wang Chong and also began to retreat.
Regardless of the outcome of this battle, the Tang Dynasty and Arabia would never have a new war. It was obvious that both the Tang Dynasty and Arabia were tired of this protracted war. Both sides had decided that this would be the final decisive battle between the four sides.
"Ready!"
A loud shout in Arabic came from the distance, and soon, the horns began to blare. The mood in the army instantly became somber and somber.
At the same time, clang! A fierce Sword Qi flew through the air as all the Tang soldiers behind the defense line unsheathed their swords. Hwoooo! The winds howled and sand and pebbles flew as the battle began at any moment.
"Kill!"
After what seemed like both a second and like countless eons, the one hundred thousand Arab, Ouzan, and Western Turkic soldiers surged forward like a flood, charging at the first defense line of the Tang Dynasty.
Bang!
The earth rumbled, and a violent sound rang out in everyone's ears.
Four black Arab war banners, one white yak banner of the Ouzan, and one black wolf war banner of the Western Turks rose from the ground and began to gallop toward the Tang Dynasty. Seeing this scene, everyone's expression changed drastically.
"Qutaybah and the others are personally moving out!"
Gao Xianzhi solemnly said as he looked forward.
The Arabs had adopted a completely different strategy this time. Before, the Arabs had always sent their soldiers first, only sending out their Great Generals at the very end. But now, everything was different.
Before the battle had even begun, all the Great Generals of the Arabs, Ouzan, and Western Turks had moved out. From afar, one could see Qutaybah, Abu Muslim, Aybak, Ziyad, Osman, Huoshu Huizang, and Duwusili.
Behind them, the six moving flags followed them like shadows.
There was no doubt that the three empires had burned their boats and staked everything on a single throw. They had thrown all their strength into this battle, determined to succeed or die trying!
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