Unlike the war of the southwest, there would not be as many civilian casualties in this war, and it would not involve as many soldiers, but it would decide the fate of the Western Regions and the empire. And what Wang Chong knew was different from what Feng Changqing knew. The effects of this war were far more terrifying than anyone could imagine.
The effects of this war on the Central Plains and the Tang Dynasty would be far greater than the effects of ten wars of the southwest. This was because it would not decide the gains and losses of a single side, but the future of the Central Plains. When a lion lost its sharp claws and teeth, it would enter its twilight years, and when an empire lost its drive to expand and advance, it would enter its old age from its youth. From then on, it would become obsessed with infighting and killing each other. This was something that no one could imagine!
Wang Chong had seen it for himself and knew of that sort of chaos. Thus, no matter what, Wang Chong could not permit the Tang Dynasty to fall into such a state!
Wang Chong was no less anxious for this battle than Feng Changqing, but no matter how anxious Wang Chong was, he was keenly aware that this was not the time to send soldiers.
Both he and the Qixi Protectorate were far from ready. In these circumstances, if they rashly sent soldiers, not only would they fail to help Gao Xianzhi and the Anxi Protectorate army, they would end up throwing themselves into prison, sending the Qixi Protectorate and Wushang's cavalry to their deaths.
History had already changed. In his last life, Anxi Protector-General Gao Xianzhi had marched one thousand li and lost the City of Talas by a hair. In the end, he was trapped in the wilderness, attacked by the armies of the Arabian Empire, and eventually defeated in the wilderness of the City of Talas.
But now, everything was different. Gao Xianzhi had successfully entered the City of Talas, seized the initiative, and had the geographical advantage. With Gao Xianzhi's strength as an Imperial Great General, more than thirty thousand elites, and tens of thousands of mercenaries, it would not be too difficult for him to resist the Arab army in the wilderness.
There was no need to doubt Gao Xianzhi's talent in the art of war, and the strength of his thirty-thousand-some Anxi elites was enough to show disdain for the entire empire. Back then, Gao Xianzhi persisted for almost a month even though he had lost the initiative and the geographical advantage. Now, with the help of the City of Talas, it would not be a problem for him to persist for another two months.
This was also the real reason why Wang Chong decided not to send troops for the time being.
"Yes! Marquis! "
Xu Keyi immediately bowed and left to receive the order.
"Li Siye."
After Xu Keyi left, Wang Chong shifted his gaze and looked at the First Palace Hall's sturdy figure, Li Siye.
"Here!"
Li Siye immediately stepped forward.
"How is the matter of WuZi Steel going? Have you urged Ablonodan and Arloja? Is there still no news? "
Wang Chong asked.
WuZi Steel was Wang Chong's greatest concern, and it was also his most pressing problem. If his guess was right, the ten thousand elites of the Abbasid Caliphate's Mamelukes were waiting for battle on the border. In the history that Wang Chong knew, the Mamelukes were known as the uncrowned kings, the strongest cavalry of the pre-apocalyptic era.
Their equipment was excellent, and their combat strength was unimaginable to everyone. Moreover, from the moment they were born, they had been trained to kill. They were true war machines. Although the Wushang Cavalry were very powerful, without the WuZi Steel swords and the Meteoric Metal armor, the Wushang Cavalry were far from their peak state.
The strongest armies of the empires of the east and west were gathered on the battlefield of Talas. The cold-blooded and cruel nature of the battle was far more terrifying than anyone could imagine.
Wang Chong would never permit the Wushang Cavalry that he had painstakingly trained to recklessly charge onto the battlefield before they were fully formed, only to be needlessly buried there.
"Marquis, there's news from Sindhu. Ablonodan and Arloja have replied that the High Priest has agreed. The six thousand jun of Hyderabad ore has been prepared and can be taken at any time. But there's a problem. Talas is currently in a state of war, and the road from Sindhu to the Central Plains has been cut off. They can no longer use the normal route to transport the ore from Hyderabad. "
Li Siye loudly said.
"Buzz!"
Li Siye's words caused everyone in the hall to tense up. The news from the City of Talas had completely disrupted their rhythm, and everyone was frantically trying to figure out what to do. Everyone had their own things to do, just like the different parts of a machine, each with their own responsibilities.
They had no idea what Li Siye was talking about, but they all knew the importance of WuZi Steel.
Wang Chong creased his brow and suddenly stepped down from his throne.
The Arabs and the Anxi Protectorate army were still locked in a stalemate at the Battle of Talas, but some effects were already beginning to show. The Sindhi High Priest was clearly worried that this unprecedented battle would have an adverse effect on this transaction worth six million taels of gold.
Wang Chong's generosity was beginning to show its effects. At present, Wang Chong was the greatest financial backer of the Hyderabad ore transaction. And he was also the greatest help to the Sindhu. This was a loss that the High Priest could not bear.
This was why the six thousand jun of Hyderabad ore had been prepared so quickly.
But things were not going as smoothly as they seemed. The battle between Gao Xianzhi and Abu Muslim had cut off the transportation route to Hyderabad ore. Rashly transporting the ore at a time like this would end up being intercepted by the Arabian Empire.
Tap! Tap!
Wang Chong's footsteps echoed through the hall, his heavy footsteps seeming to strike at the hearts of everyone present. As Wang Chong walked forward, everyone slowly turned to the only model in the hall. As they gazed at the city of Talas in the center of the model, they all felt an indescribable strangeness.
This model had been made by Wang Chong before the battle had even begun, and it had been there for a very long time. But no one had realized what this model signified, not until this moment.
"Marquis! The path between the Central Plains and Sindhu truly has been cut off. I've already sent many scouts and rock eagles. The area around Talas is filled with Arab soldiers. I've already investigated and found that all trade routes along the Silk Road between the east and the west have been cut off. Even the Arab caravans had stopped all activity. The path between the east and the west has truly been cut off. We can't go through there. "
Perched on his shoulder, Zhang Que gazed at the undulating terrain and mountains on the model as he respectfully reported to Wang Chong.
Wang Chong frowned and silently lowered his head to the model. On this sand table, all the mountains, rivers, passages, and cities were clearly marked. This was the result of a large number of scouts, a great deal of time, and all sorts of meticulous methods.
Just as Zhang Que had said, the geography of the City of Talas was extremely unique. This had once been a hub for trade routes between the east and the west, but after the war, the Silk Road had been cut off, leaving no path between the two. Even if Sindhu had agreed to Wang Chong's request, the six thousand jun of Hyderabad ore wouldn't have been enough.
"No!"
Wang Chong's eyes flashed as he suddenly said, "The path hasn't been cut off.
"The passage hasn't been severed. There's still another passage between the Great Tang and Sindhu!"
"Ah!"
Everyone was stunned by Wang Chong's words.
"How could that be? I've already investigated. All the trade routes have stopped. There can't be another path! "
Zhang Que said in shock.
It wasn't that he didn't believe Wang Chong's words, but that he had been racking his brains and expending a great deal of resources and manpower to find another path, but all his efforts had ended in failure. In addition, merchants valued profit. If there was another path, he might not know about it, but these merchants would definitely know about it.
The hall was quiet as everyone looked at Wang Chong.
Swish!
Wang Chong said nothing, only took a small red flag and inserted it into an inconspicuous position on the sand table. Everyone was dumbstruck by the location of this red flag. Zhang Que's eyes went wide, his mouth agape, but he couldn't say a single word.
The Ouzan Plateau!
No one had expected Wang Chong's flag to be inserted into the territory of the Ouzan Empire. He actually wanted to use Ouzan to transport the six thousand jun of Hyderabad ore. Even the boldest person would not dare to imagine such a wild and unconstrained train of thought.
"It doesn't matter that the Silk Road has been cut off. Li Siye, inform Sindhu. Tell them to pass through Greater and Lesser Balur to the north of Sindhu and use the Ouzan Empire to transport the six thousand jun of Hyderabad ore! In addition, take two thousand Wushang cavalry and pass through Greater and Lesser Balur to provide support! "
Wang Chong said firmly.
"Yes! Marquis! "
Li Siye said without hesitation. He had never doubted Wang Chong's decisions.
Behind him, the people in the hall were still immersed in intense shock, but gradually, they seemed to understand something, and pensive looks appeared on their faces. To pass through northern Sindhu and pass through Greater and Lesser Balur, as well as the Ouzan Plateau to transport the Hyderabad ore was a path that even the craziest merchant would not dare to imagine.
The reason was simple. Not only was the road rough and bumpy, it also passed through the most dangerous territory of the Ouzan Empire. The cavalry of the Ouzan Empire would not only plunder Longxi, but also plunder merchants traveling between the east and west. One of the reasons the Tang Dynasty had established a protectorate in Qixi and stationed an army there was to prevent the plundering of the Ouzan Empire.
No merchant would be crazy enough to send their goods into the territory of bandits.
But the battle of the triangular gap had completely altered the structure of Qixi. Dayan Mangpoje had died in battle and Dusong Mangpoje had fled in defeat. The northern border of the Ouzan Plateau no longer had any soldiers that could threaten Wang Chong's plans.
Wang Chong's idea seemed bold, but it was actually the most appropriate!
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