The Arab soldiers had arrived much faster than expected. In just a few days, Wang Chong's scouts and Khorasani spies had reported that more than three hundred thousand soldiers had gathered more than one hundred kilometers from the Tang Dynasty and were rapidly setting up fortifications to guard against any sneak attacks from the Tang Dynasty. More and more soldiers were being gathered, and the Arab army was rapidly growing in strength.
And from the information they had gathered, the Arabs had gathered at least two or three Imperial Great Generals.
"The one who has come is Arabia's' Empire's White Corpse 'Hular. This person has a cruel personality and is extremely patient. More importantly, this person's army is extremely meticulous, and his defenses are practically watertight. If we try to force our way in, we'll find it very difficult to gain the upper hand."
Bahram's voice came from next to Wang Chong, who was standing next to him and explaining. Bahram knew all the Arab generals and governors like the back of his hand. In this aspect, the Tang Dynasty could not compare. Many of the information that Wang Chong had obtained had actually come from Bahram.
"Haha, even the tightest defense has its flaws. It all depends on the choice."
Wang Chong faintly smiled. The Tang Dynasty had won the Battle of Talas with one hundred thousand against five hundred thousand, and the enemy only had three hundred thousand.
Wang Chong had never underestimated any opponent, but even the Arab War God Qutaybah had died to his sword, so why would he fear a trifling Empire's White Corpse? No matter how powerful Hular was, he could never surpass Qutaybah.
Bahram froze for a moment, and then he nodded. The Empire's White Corpse Hular was no nameless individual. The only person who could speak of Hular in such a manner in front of him was probably Wang Chong. But Bahram was also well aware that this young commander was completely different from any other person he had ever met.
All the incredible opportunities that had happened to him gave him the confidence to say these words in front of everyone.
"Xue Qianjun, write a letter for me to the Caliph of Arabia. Say that the two sides have already signed an agreement and that Arabia has sent three hundred thousand soldiers to Khorasan. This makes us feel threatened, a naked betrayal. You have one day to withdraw your army from the cities. Otherwise, don't blame us for sending troops to uphold the agreement. "
Wang Chong replied without turning his head.
Hearing Wang Chong's words, Gao Xianzhi, Cheng Qianli, and everyone else around smiled. The Great Tang had long ago seen through all the thoughts and schemes of the Caliph, and there were no secrets to speak of. It was just that the Arabs were still pretending to be deaf and dumb, pretending not to know.
"Understood!"
A voice came from behind him, and Xue Qianjun bowed and quickly left.
Flapflap! Several carrier pigeons took off into the air, one for Baghdad while the other for the Arab White Corpse and the three hundred thousand Arab soldiers.
"Boom!"
The letter from Wang Chong was like a boulder falling to the ground, and the three hundred thousand soldiers in the Arab camp instantly began to seethe.
"Bastard! This is intolerable bullying! "
The Empire's White Corpse Hular had always been known for his calm and reserved personality, but when he received Wang Chong's letter, he couldn't help but slam his fist on the table, his eyes spitting fire.
The Tang people had already obtained one billion taels of gold from the Arabs, and now they were trying to take advantage of the situation by questioning the Arabs. This was simply intolerable bullying.
The Arabs had always revered bravery, and it had always been the small and weak countries that had to look up to them. This was the first time they had been so openly threatened.
"Milord, what do we do? They've given us one day to withdraw from the cities. Do we really have to agree? "
A voice suddenly came from the side. It was one of Hular's escorts, his head lowered and his voice cautious.
The Arabs had already gathered an army of three hundred thousand here, outnumbering the enemy by one hundred thousand. In normal circumstances, they would have been able to ignore them. But everyone knew that more than one hundred li away, garrisoned behind the walls of Khorasan were the two hundred thousand soldiers of the Tang Dynasty and the Khorasani army. Based on their past records, even if they had one hundred thousand more soldiers, they would not necessarily be able to defeat them.
"Impossible!"
The Empire's White Corpse Hular's eyes spat fire as he immediately refused.
"No one can threaten the Arabs like this. Pass on my order to tighten the defenses. I'd like to see just what they can do to us!"
"Yes!"
The adjutant received the order and quickly turned to leave.
"Wait a moment!"
Hular suddenly called out to his deputy. He took in a deep breath, his expression much calmer.
"Write a letter for me to reply to the Tang Dynasty. Arabia has no intention of breaking the agreement with the Tang Dynasty. The mobilization of soldiers this time is only a normal mobilization of soldiers and a necessary precaution. I hope that the Tang Dynasty will not think too much about it."
The deputy was flabbergasted, but he quickly understood, lowered his head, and vanished from the hall.
Flapflap!
An hour later, an Arabian hunting falcon soared into the sky, leaping over a tributary of the Tigris River and landing in Khorasan.
In just five minutes, Wang Chong, Gao Xianzhi, Cheng Qianli, and Li Siye had all gathered together. After reading the letter, all of them had expressions of interest on their faces.
Everyone knew what the Arabs were up to and what plan they were currently carrying out.
"Lord Protector-General, how should we reply to this letter?"
Xi Yuanqing suddenly broke the silence.
"Reply? Do we even need to reply? The Arabs don't think that we'll accept such a far-fetched reason, do they? "
Wang Chong heartily laughed.
The Arabs were playing with words. Everyone understood what they were preparing. Since they knew that they were preparing for war, Wang Chong would not be so foolish as to allow them to smoothly assemble their soldiers.
"Great General Bahram, General Cheng, Li Siye, get ready. We are going to meet with the Empire's White Corpse Great General!"
Wang Chong said.
"Mm."
Bahram, Cheng Qianli, and the others nodded, a faint smile on their lips.
… …
Several hours later, in the city of Shifan, a hundred li from Khorasan, countless Arab soldiers had gathered, their sabers as thick as a forest. The three hundred thousand soldiers were brimming with killing intent, ready to engage in a large-scale battle at any moment.
"Be careful! Everyone, get to your positions! "
"Order the craftsmen to work day and night. If they can't build five thousand new barracks by tomorrow, immediately kill half of them!"
"Hurry and feed the warhorses! Five days from now, we will be fighting with the Tang people! "
… …
Whip after whip cracked through the air as the Arab generals fiercely lashed the craftsmen and soldiers, urging them to complete the construction of the barracks. Shifan was not a large city. The 300,000 soldiers had already made the place a little crowded, and there were still another 400,000 to 500,000 soldiers arriving later on.
An army of eight hundred thousand required the construction of a large number of facilities.
"Milord, the construction within the city is almost complete, and the defenses outside are also in the process of being built. We shouldn't have to worry about the Tang people for the time being!"
A voice came from behind him, coming from an Arab deputy high up on the walls.
"Mm."
Hular nodded in satisfaction and quickly withdrew his gaze.
The enemy this time was extremely powerful. Hundreds of thousands of Arab soldiers and Great Generals like Qutaybah had already died at their hands. All of Arabia, including Hular, was extremely apprehensive of the Tang people, and all of them were acting as if they were facing a powerful foe.
"Reporting!"
As he was thinking, an Arab horseman stirred up a cloud of dust in the distance as he galloped toward him. The scout on the horse had a pale face and looked very flustered.
"There's a large group of soldiers heading towards Shifan! — "
Boom!
Hular and the other Arab governors grimaced at these words. No one had expected that they would dare to challenge the Arabs when they had the upper hand.
"Bastard! The agreement has just been signed, and one billion taels of gold has already entered their city. The ink hasn't even dried yet, do you think they would dare to tear up the agreement? "
Hular was both shocked and infuriated. No one had ever dared to treat the Arabs like this in previous wars.
Moreover, the Tang dynasty had just received one billion taels of gold, yet they immediately dared to tear up the treaty and deal with them. This was simply going too far.
"Report!"
A few moments later, another shout came from the distance, followed by the galloping of hooves. Another Arab scout had a panicked expression on his face as he galloped toward Shifan.
"Sir, we've discovered the allied army of seven thousand Tang people and the insurgents outside the city. They're coming toward us, and they're less than three miles away from us!"
"So fast!"
Hearing this, the expressions of everyone on the city wall changed drastically.
The two scouts had only needed a few moments to get within three li of Shifan. At this speed, they would soon reach the walls.
"Arrogant! Too arrogant! "
An Arab governor on the walls was enraged. The Tang people of the eastern world were simply too arrogant. It was just one defeat, and the Arabs still had an enormous army and many governors and generals.
Hular's mind was also seething with rage.
"Everyone, hear my order! Without my order, don't act rashly. I want to see just what this commander of the Tang Dynasty wants!"
With Hular's order, the atmosphere in Shifan became somber. A few moments later, a cloud of dust began to rise from the distance, accompanied by the galloping of hooves and fierce neighs.
"Who goes there?!"
Hular immediately bellowed from a distance of six to seven hundred meters. His voice was brimming with energy, resounding over the entire Shifan neighborhood like a peal of thunder.
"Hahaha, is that the Arabian Empire's White Corpse Hular on the walls?"
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