The one hundred thousand Qixi reinforcements quickly calmed down. The only thing left was the thick stench of blood in the air and the corpses of the Bakr Cataphracts strewn in front of the defensive line, a testament to the ferocity and power of the Tang Dynasty.
"There's no need to worry about the other side. Hurry up and finish the fortifications!"
"Begin treating the wounded and counting the casualties!"
"Repair the ballistae! Inspect all the equipment again!"
… …
As orders were passed down, the Tang Dynasty army busied itself, but it was also orderly. Everything was proceeding according to Wang Chong's plan.
Meanwhile, with the heavily wounded Bakr Cataphracts under Amur's command, the Arabs retreated like the tide, no longer probing the enemy.
"Lord Governor, Amur failed. The Tang people did not pursue!"
Ziyad said from next to Abu Muslim.
Ziyad was about thirty-six years old. He had a short moustache and brown eyes that were as sharp as swords. As the Arab Deputy Governor of the East, as well as Abu Muslim's aide and subordinate, Ziyad had an important role to play in this operation.
Although he was not as strong as Abu Muslim, Ziyad was still a peak Brigadier General, a top-class expert on the verge of stepping into the Great General level. Not only that, Ziyad was also a rare tactician. Abu Muslim had always relied heavily on his intelligence and strategy.
In the previous battle, Ziyad had been leading the army and arranging for the soldiers to retreat, doing his best to minimize the losses. Thus, he had only appeared at Abu Muslim's side now.
"Ziyad, what do you think of this new commander of the Tang Dynasty?"
After some time, Abu Muslim looked forward and spoke. His eyes were deep and his expression calm, making it impossible to tell what he was thinking.
"I don't know. We know nothing about him …"
Ziyad's brow was tightly creased, a pensive look in his eyes.
"This person isn't from Anxi. For this battle, Gao Xianzhi has brought all the top-class generals of Anxi. It was impossible for anyone to be more powerful than him. He must have been sent by the emperor of the Tang dynasty. I remember that we had sent spies and scouts into the interior of the Tang dynasty to investigate, but I don't know what happened. Those spies and scouts lost contact with each other, and they never sent back any news. I'm afraid that they were discovered and eliminated by the Tang people. Now that I think about it, it's really a pity. "
"As for this new commander of the Tang people, although we don't have his information and can't see where he is, judging from his performance, this person has probably seen through our ambush. Moreover, the army he leads is also very powerful. Previously, the Tang people's army led by Gao Xianzhi also used that kind of huge crossbow, but its power was not as terrifying. His accuracy and shooting speed are not comparable to Gao Xianzhi's. "
"I have a feeling that this new Commander-in-Chief is even more powerful than Gao Xianzhi, and he's even more difficult to deal with."
"You think he's even stronger than that Anxi War God?"
Abu Muslim slightly frowned, rather surprised by Ziyad's assessment. In the last two months of fierce battle, Gao Xianzhi and his Anxi Protectorate army had dealt a heavy blow to the Arabs. Before this, Abu Muslim and the entire Arabian Empire had the lofty ambition to sweep through the Western Regions with an army of three hundred thousand and even occupy the Tang dynasty, accomplishing a feat that had never been accomplished by any Caliph.
But a trifling Gao Xianzhi and the City of Talas had dealt a severe blow to Abu Muslim and his powerful Arab army. Although they were enemies, Abu Muslim would never belittle his opponents. Gao Xianzhi truly did have the qualifications to be his opponent.
Even though Abu Muslim's desire to kill this man had never wavered!
But now, Ziyad actually believed that this new Arab commander was even more formidable than Gao Xianzhi.
"In terms of strength, I haven't seen him yet, so I can't make a judgment for now. But in terms of tactics and strategy, my intuition is that Gao Xianzhi … really can't compare to him. "
Ziyad solemnly said.
Gao Xianzhi was a tenacious opponent. The fact that he had managed to delay the Arab army for two months was proof enough. But Gao Xianzhi had not relied on his own tactics and strategy, but on the high and thick walls of the City of Talas. Although the battle had lasted for a long time, the true losses had been far less severe.
On the other hand, the commander of the Tang Dynasty, who had yet to show his face, had killed Umar in a single clash, dealt a heavy blow to Amur's Bakr Cataphracts, and had even killed nearly one hundred thousand Arab soldiers in this first clash.
And this time, the Tang Dynasty's reinforcements had only been a little more than one hundred thousand!
This alone was enough for Ziyad to place an unprecedented amount of importance on this new commander of the Tang Dynasty. Moreover, this new commander hadn't even borrowed the strength of any city.
Abu Muslim instantly fell silent, a grave look in his eyes. After fighting side by side with Ziyad for so many years, Abu Muslim had always placed great trust in Ziyad's judgment and intuition. In their ten-some years together, Abu Muslim had never seen Ziyad give such a high evaluation of an enemy commander before he even met him.
"Rumble!"
As he was thinking, a boom came from up ahead, completely different from any of the previous booms, and it quickly attracted the attention of Abu Muslim and Ziyad. The two of them raised their heads. In the distance, they could see countless craftsmen and soldiers working together in the rear of the Tang army. They were methodically installing strange, huge, silver rectangular boxes covered with holes on the surface onto the tall steel walls.
The two highest Arab commanders grimaced at this sight, their eyes brimming with anger.
Although they didn't know what sort of secrets these silver chests held, their experience allowed them to immediately tell that they were some sort of powerful defensive equipment. The combination of these silver chests and the steel walls made it obvious what the Tang people were doing.
In front of more than two hundred thousand Arab soldiers, they were brazenly and brazenly constructing fortifications on a large scale!
This was a blatant provocation!
To the west of the Cong Mountains, Arabia was synonymous with terror and destruction, and all empires and factions would pale at the mere mention of its name. In all of history, no opponent had ever dared to humiliate an Arab army of more than two hundred thousand.
"Bastard!"
Ziyad clenched his fists, his eyes exploding with killing intent. Although Abu Muslim said nothing, his face had also turned gloomy.
"Lord Governor, have our entire army press forward and completely crush the Tang people's army! They're too impudent! "
A voice came from the side, and all the Arab commanders around Abu Muslim turned to look, their eyes blazing with fury. The Arabs were renowned for their bravery and skill in battle. Umar's death could not represent the entire Arab army, and the true main force of the Arab army had yet to move.
Once they did, the battle would be completely different.
"Enough!"
Abu Muslim suddenly bellowed, his expression as cold as ice. In a flash, all the Arab commanders fell silent, lowering their heads with respect in their eyes.
"I have my own plans!"
"Pass on my order! All soldiers are to retreat and reorganize!"
"Yes, Lord Governor!"
A messenger next to him said, his voice trembling.
Abu Muslim's eyes were spitting fire, but he said no more. His eyes were constantly shifting as he stared at the Tang Dynasty army. No one could tell what he was thinking. The Tang people had to be eliminated and the Western Regions had to be brought under the Arabian Empire. He would be the first Governor of the East to defeat the Tang Dynasty.
But before that, every decision had to be made with caution. He could not be rash.
Flapflap!
Just when Abu Muslim was preparing to reorganize his army and launch an attack against the Tang people, he suddenly heard the flapping of wings. Whoosh! A black messenger pigeon flew down like a bolt of lightning and landed on Abu Muslim's arm.
Cawcaw! The black messenger pigeon began to cry out as it slowly walked on Abu Muslim's arm. On its right leg was a rolled-up piece of white paper.
"Buzz!"
The other Arab commanders didn't react to this black messenger pigeon, but Abu Muslim and Ziyad glanced at each other and saw the shock and astonishment in each other's eyes. Abu Muslim took the letter from the black messenger pigeon's leg and slowly unfurled it. After glancing at it, his expression instantly turned strange.
"Lord Governor, what does the letter say?"
Ziyad took a step forward and asked.
Abu Muslim said nothing, only handed over the letter.
"This …"
After reading the contents of the letter, Ziyad's expression turned strange, and his brown eyes slowly began to shine.
"All soldiers, hear my order! The army is to organize and delay the operation. Tomorrow, we will fight the Tang people!"
"Yes, Milord!"
… …
Meanwhile, outside the City of Talas …
"Marquis, they're retreating! The Arabs are really retreating this time!"
Next to Wang Chong, Zhang Que placed a hand over his forehead as he watched the Arab army retreat like a receding tide, a look of excitement on his face. Zhang Que was not a fighter, so after the aerial battle, he had remained at Wang Chong's side. Xu Keyi, Chen Burang, Sun Zhiming, Zhuang Buping, Chi Weisi, Zhao Jingdian, and even Wang Chong's father Wang Yan and big brother Wang Fu had all been sent to the front lines to command the army. The only people left at Wang Chong's side were Zhang Que and a few others.
"It's not that simple. This battle … has only just begun!"
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.
