"Who are those people below the walls? Is the name of Lord Governor something you can call out! "
Before Hular could speak, an Arab general next to him rebuked him.
"Hahaha, Hular, to think that you Arabs would have such a day. I have come this time to pass on a message from the Tang Dynasty's Qixi Protector-General. Immediately lead all the soldiers and withdraw from Shifan! Otherwise, the Tang will mobilize their soldiers from Khorasan because of your treachery and attack, just like they did with Qutaybah, exterminating all of you! "
Jalali heartily laughed as he gazed up at the walls.
Jalali was a Khorasani, and a member of the Sassanid Dynasty. For so many years, only the Khorasani who had been oppressed by the Arabs knew what sort of lives they had lived. In front of the Arabs, all the Khorasani had to be careful and grovel, not even daring to speak loudly. They were true second-class citizens, and the Khorasani had to pay enormous taxes. Not too long ago, they had been able to stand before an Arab army of three hundred thousand and oppose a powerful governor like Hular.
"Impudent!"
"Arrogant!"
On the high walls, Hular and the other Arab governors and generals were all enraged by these words. A trifling army of seven thousand dared to act so impudently in front of them? They were seeking death!
"Someone! Send me twenty thousand men and horses and kill them all! "
Hular's face was as cold as ice as he gave the order.
With Hular's order, the city gates opened, and a group of more than twenty thousand Arab soldiers surged out, their expressions cold and aloof as they charged at the Arab army outside the city.
"Hahaha, let's go!"
Outside the walls, Jalali saw that his goal had been achieved, and with a wave of his hand, he led his seven thousand soldiers into the distance.
"The message has been delivered. All of you, do your best!"
Jalali heartily laughed, his voice still coming from up ahead.
"Where do you think you're going!"
The Arab general bellowed when he saw that the Arab army was about to leave after taking advantage of the situation, and he immediately led his army forward.
The two armies, one in front and one behind, quickly disappeared into the distance.
"Damn it! Hurry up and charge forward. Don't let them escape. The Tigris River is right in front. They can't escape! "
Several li away, the Arab general Abra roared and thrust his scimitar into the rear of his horse, causing the entire army to madly charge forward. But before they could get far, Neigh suddenly heard a fierce sound of horses. In the next moment, countless soldiers charged, like a sharp arrow, and stabbed into the army behind Abra.
"Not good! Retreat quickly! "
Abra's expression changed. He wanted to lead his army to retreat, but it was too late.
"It's too late to think of escaping now! All of you, accept your fate! "
A loud roar came from the front. Jalali, who had been running away with all his might, suddenly drew his sword and led the seven thousand strong army behind him in a counterattack. Rumble! They charged into the Arab formation. In a flash, the Arabs were in chaos.
…
"What?! Abra's army was wiped out? "
On the high walls, Hular was dumbfounded by the news. In just a few moments, Abra's twenty thousand soldiers had been completely wiped out. This had happened far too quickly.
"How many soldiers did the enemy have?"
Hular asked, his entire body in shock and confusion.
"Besides the seven thousand soldiers from before, the enemy also had more than eight thousand people in the rear, for a total of fifteen thousand soldiers."
"What? How could this be! "
Before Hular could speak, the two Arab governors standing next to him spoke up, both of them in shock.
If the enemy had a much greater number of soldiers, they could accept it, but there were only fifteen thousand soldiers, not even the soldiers they had dispatched. Just how had they managed to kill so many people in such a short time? Was the legend true? Was this the strongest eastern army in all of history, even stronger than Qutaybah's army? But how could this be!
From the information they had gathered, although the Tang Dynasty army had won, it only had twenty to thirty thousand soldiers left. And from the composition of that army, the enemy was mainly made up of rebel soldiers that were hiding like rats. When had this motley crew become so formidable?
"Pass on my order! Send out all the hunting falcons!"
Only now did Hular sense that something was wrong. He had originally believed that this was just a small group of soldiers harassing and displaying their might, but it now appeared that this was not the case at all.
Flapflap! Countless hunting falcons soared into the sky from Shifan and began to fly off in every direction.
A few moments later, the scouting falcons and scouts reported back with accurate numbers of the enemy's forces.
Twenty thousand soldiers was the exact number, and all the Tang people and Khorasani were heading toward Shifan at full speed.
"Pass on my order! One hundred thousand soldiers will follow me out of the city. I want to personally investigate the strength of these people."
Hular was finally infuriated. One mistake was enough. This time, he wanted to personally deal with the Tang people and the remnants of the dynasty.
Boom! The gates opened, and a moment later, one hundred thousand Arab soldiers surged out of the city. Two hundred thousand soldiers stood behind them, ready to give chase at the slightest sign of trouble. Although only one hundred thousand soldiers had been dispatched, the two armies cooperated with each other and would not give the enemy any opportunities.
"Rumble!"
Not long after Hular led his army out of the city, a massive golden dragon banner rose over the horizon. War drums began to beat as countless soldiers formed from the Tang people, Khorasani, and other rebel soldiers surged toward Shifan. In the center of this army was an armored black-haired youth who instantly attracted Hular's attention.
"It's him!"
Hular's pupils constricted at the sight of that young figure, and his entire face paled. He had never imagined that the young commander of the Tang Dynasty would personally take action.
From Talas until now, Hular and all the Arab soldiers had heard far too much about this young commander. His appearance, temperament, weapon, and armor were all very detailed. Even if they had never seen him in person, they could immediately recognize him after hearing this description.
But this was not why Hular feared and valued him. More importantly, there was no one in the Arabian Empire who did not know that Qutaybah and Aybak had died at his hands.
"Everyone, be careful! This person is probably the youngest commander of the Tang Dynasty, Wang Chong!"
Hular warily said as he looked forward.
Hular's words made the other two Arab governors, Pahlavi and Karim, say nothing, but their eyes shone with deep apprehension.
Gallop!
A few moments later, the two armies began to approach each other in a cloud of dust. In the end, they were separated by a short distance.
"Tang people, you betrayed us! You clearly received the gold we paid, but you still broke the agreement! Truly despicable!"
The Arab Governor of Hamadan, Karim, coldly flashed in his eyes as he charged forward to meet the cavalry. Although his reputation and prestige couldn't compare to Qutaybah or Abu Muslim, Kailimu was definitely one of the most powerful governors of the Arabian Empire. Moreover, Kailimu had always had a tough personality, and he showed no fear even in the face of Wang Chong.
"How could this be considered breaking the agreement? I'm afraid the first to attack will be you guys, not us! "
A mellow and dignified voice came from the front as Wang Chong slowly rode forward on his White-hoofed Shadow. His expression was calm and unruffled, and his every movement exuded a bearing and strength of character that could make other Great Generals of the same level pale in comparison.
"Buzz!"
All the Arab generals grimaced at these words.
From start to finish, it had been the Tang people who had been provoking the Arabs, and even at the very end, it had been the Khorasani who had been too impudent. But if one seriously looked into the matter, it truly had been the Arabs who had attacked first.
"Bastard! It was clearly you who set up an ambush to lure us over! You've been planning this for a very long time! "
An Arab general next to Hular finally couldn't help but harshly rebuke him.
"Hmph, if we hadn't made sufficient preparations, those seven thousand soldiers would have been completely slaughtered by you!"
At this moment, Xue Qianjun stepped forward from behind Wang Chong and cursed.
"You!"
The Arab general was instantly at a loss for words.
Although everyone knew that those seven thousand soldiers had been bait, Xue Qianjun was right. If the Tang Dynasty hadn't been one step ahead, the Arab army would have already returned in triumph.
"There's no need to say any more!"
Hular extended an arm and stopped the general behind him. Urging his horse forward, he glared at Wang Chong said.
"The Tang people, you are also a famous general of your generation. Is the Tang Dynasty this untrustworthy?"
"Heh!"
Wang Chong faintly chuckled as he urged his horse forward, a disdainful look on his face.
"Trustworthy or untrustworthy, honoring the agreement or breaking it, that's not up to you to decide! Didn't I already tell you? Within one day, you must withdraw from Shifan. Since you won't abide by it, you will naturally be the first to break the agreement. Don't blame me for leading my army west and attacking. "
"You!!"
Hular paled at these words. As the most powerful empire in the West, when had it been forced into such a state?
"I'll count to three. I'll give you three seconds. If you don't withdraw by then, prepare to die!"
Wang Chong extended a finger, his entire body exuding a domineering aura.
"One! Two! … Three! "
Before Hular could react, Wang Chong extended a third finger, and a moment later, the twenty-thousand-some Tang, Khorasani, and other rebel soldiers roared and charged forward. Hular's eyes lit up, and Wang Chong's eyes flickered as he raised his third finger.
Domineering!
Too domineering!
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.
