"What do we do?"
It was Hular's turn to ask a question, his expression extremely unsightly.
"Let them do as they please. Isn't it just eight hours? I'd like to see what tricks they have up their sleeves. "
The moment Firas of Black Radiance spoke, the Three Titans of Black Radiance seemed to reach an agreement and left behind this order. The three quickly turned their horses around and rode into the depths of the army.
As for the Tang Dynasty, they exploded with cheers and laughter upon hearing the Arabs' news. Eight hours was equivalent to half a day. With just a few words, they had completely toyed with the Arabs.
"Let's go back and rest. Great General Bahram, I'll leave the matters on the walls to you. Although the Arabs have promised to attack the city in eight hours, we can't completely trust them. Protector-General Gao and I will come to your aid at any time. "
Wang Chong turned to Bahram.
After fighting alongside Bahram, he had gradually gained an understanding of this Sassanid Great General. His style of battle was upright and dignified, steady, and almost impenetrable. With him standing guard on the walls, even if something went wrong, Bahram would be able to buy them enough time.
"Relax. Leave this matter to me."
Bahram's eyes were bright as he patted his chest.
"Mm."
Wang Chong nodded and turned to Li Siye.
"Li Siye, you stay as well. Work with Bahram in the defense."
"Yes, Milord!"
… …
After descending from the walls, Wang Chong quickly entered the Lord's Hall of Khorasan, accompanied by Zhang Shouzhi, the King Gangke, and Banahan.
"Venerable Senior Zhang, have you prepared everything I ordered you to do?"
Wang Chong sat down in the hall and solemnly said.
"Replying to Marquis, according to Your Excellency's orders, we began preparing seven or eight days ago. Everything is in place. There will be no slip-ups."
Zhang Shouzhi bowed his head and said respectfully.
"Milord, our side is also ready. But forgive me for speaking out of turn. Could it really be as Milord said?"
Banahan asked doubtfully. When he first received Wang Chong's order, he had asked about it, but Banahan felt that it was too unimaginable.
"It's fine if that's not the case, but if it really is as I imagine, then it won't just be the Arabs, but us as well."
Wang Chong's gaze was like lightning as it slowly swept past them, and his expression was incomparably solemn.
Although he had always looked relaxed in front of everyone, as if victory was in his grasp and he had a well-thought-out plan, only Wang Chong knew that this matter was not as simple as he had imagined, and it was possible that the entire army would be wiped out.
"Understood!"
Seeing the solemn expression on Wang Chong's face, everyone replied in unison.
"Let's check it again!"
Wang Chong said.
"Yes, my lord."
… …
Time slowly passed, and the Arab army was getting closer and closer. It was only ten-some paces from the surging Tigris River, its seven hundred thousand soldiers exuding a formidable pressure. But just as they had agreed, the Arabs did not rashly attack, instead waiting for the Tang Dynasty to open the gates and surrender.
In the blink of an eye, noon had passed, and everyone was waiting for Wang Chong's answer.
Bang!
An arrow quickly flew down from the walls of Khorasan and landed in front of them.
"Milord, the Tang people have sent another letter saying that the rebel army in the city is getting more and more opposed. Although a large number of rebel soldiers have agreed, they will need another two hours to convince the rest."
The messenger took the arrow and quickly ran into the tent at the back.
"What?"
Upon hearing the news, the Empire's White Corpse Hular stood up in anger. In the tent, the Three Titans of Black Radiance were motionless, but they were also frowning.
"What's going on? It's already been eight hours. Are they still trying to fool us?"
The Empire's White Corpse Hular roared.
"Milord, but we already gave them eight hours. If Khorasan really is as they say, wouldn't all our efforts have been for naught?"
At this moment, one of the generals said.
Hular froze, momentarily at a loss for words.
"This time, there are a lot of rebels. Each of them has their own ideas. The Tang people have just arrived. Even if they want to surrender, it will be difficult to get their consent."
At this moment, another general spoke.
Hular's eyes widened, and he was rendered speechless. He could feel that he was completely toyed with by the young commander of the Tang dynasty. It was a very bad feeling.
"Pass down my order. Give them another two hours."
The Three Titans of Black Radiance finally made up their minds. However, this feeling was very uncomfortable. The three of them were now regretting their previous proposal.
Flapflap! A messenger bird soared into the sky and quickly flew into Khorasan.
But two hours later, the Tang Dynasty sent another message. The rebels still had not reached an agreement and needed more time, but it wasn't long before they could reach an agreement. They hoped that the Arabs would patiently wait for news.
"Bastard!"
A steely fist smashed into the tough Arabian steel, leaving a massive dent in it. Hular was naturally seething with anger, especially the Three Titans of Black Radiance, who were sitting motionlessly in the tent, their brows twitching.
Twelve hours had passed since the negotiations had begun, and now that they thought about it, it was truly absurd. Moreover, as time went on, even the Three Titans of Black Radiance began to feel that the Tang people were intentionally stalling for time. But even so, the four of them were still unable to completely confirm the Tang people's intentions.
"Two hours. We'll give them two more hours at most. If they don't surrender by then, no matter what reason they give, we'll immediately attack!"
Fadi, the Head of Dark Radiance, finally made up his mind. Every game had an end, and fourteen hours was the limit that the Three Titans of Black Radiance could endure.
At this rate, it wouldn't be long before nightfall. At that time, even if the Arabs wanted to attack, they would be powerless.
Flapflap! As the Three Titans of Black Radiance made their final decision, a second Arabian hunting falcon soared into the sky and vanished from Khorasan.
A storm was brewing, and even though neither the Tang Dynasty nor the Arabs had moved, the atmosphere was more tense than ever. Both sides had gathered their armies, and everyone knew that the moment the battle began, it would be earth-shattering and corpses strewn across the land.
As time passed, the sky gradually darkened. While both parties exchanged letters, it was already nearing dusk. Flapflap! Finally, a messenger bird soared into the sky from Khorasan and landed in the Arab camp.
This time, the Arabs finally received the final reply from the Tang Dynasty.
After repeated and difficult discussions, the Tang Dynasty, Khorasan, and the rebel armies had finally reached an answer that suited all sides: no surrender!
"Bastard!"
The Three Titans of Black Radiance, Hular, and all the Arab generals were thoroughly enraged by this letter.
"Pass on my order! Immediately begin the attack. Once the city is breached, kill all the Tang people and Khorasani. As long as they can still breathe, leave no one alive!"
The order of the Three Titans of Black Radiance was swiftly transmitted to the army.
Rumble, the originally calm ground suddenly trembled violently. As the seven hundred thousand soldiers began to advance toward Khorasan, their enormous momentum caused the entire Tigris River to tremble and lose its calm.
"Kiiiill!" "Kiiiill!"
Amidst heaven-shaking fighting cries, countless small boats, tens of thousands of them, were pushed out of the Arab army and plunged into the Tigris River. Soon after, countless warhorses entered the boats, all of them rushing toward Khorasan like a school of carp in a river.
"Careful!"
A shrill cry resounded through the heavens, followed by the rumbling of war drums as countless soldiers scaled the walls of Khorasan. At the same time, several thousand ballistae lined up on the walls of Khorasan, their sharp tips aimed at the small boats and the Arab cavalry on the Tigris River several dozen zhang away.
The Arabs had clearly made ample preparations for this battle. Each boat was manned by an extremely skilled soldier, and these soldiers continued to row the boats with astonishing speed. Twenty zhang, one hundred zhang, fifty zhang … the Arabs were getting closer and closer to the shore. Finally …
"Release!"
On the walls, Chen Bin swung his sword. The first to attack was not the several thousand Tang dynasty ballistae, but the beehives that had been dismantled from the steel walls. Boom! Boom! Boom! A series of thunderous booms rang out from the city walls. In the next moment, a dense rain of arrows covered the sky like dark clouds, completely obscuring the sky above the Tigris River.
Swishswishswish! A destructive wave of attacks was unleashed. Screams filled the air as countless Arab cavalry, caught off guard, were pierced through by the rain of arrows. Their bodies trembled for a moment before plummeting from their boats like wooden pillars.
Plop! Plop! In a single wave of attacks, tens of thousands of Arab cavalry were plunged into the icy and turbulent waters of the Tigris River. The clear waters were dyed red and began to spread.
The Arab soldiers that had appeared here had all been transferred from other places and had never fought with the Tang dynasty before. They were completely unprepared for the Tang dynasty's methods of attack, resulting in severe losses.
"Ready!"
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.
