As the winds howled, Wang Chong stood on the walls, his robes flapping in the wind. From a distance, he exuded a carefree and confident demeanor.
"Light the torches!"
Wang Chong made a gesture, and the torches on the walls began to light along the edges of the walls. Clangclangclang! Chains connected to oil lamps hung down from the walls, lighting up the last dark 'corner' of Talas. Whether it was the Arabs or Ouzan who wanted to launch a sneak attack on the steel defense line or climb into the City of Talas in the dark, there were no longer any blind spots to speak of.
Time slowly passed. Whether it was the Ouzan, the Tang people, or the Arab camps, all of them were quiet. The three parties all seemed to be extremely restrained, and they were all living in harmony. From the first night until the hour of the Zi Period, there were no attacks.
But even so, the mood in the City of Talas did not relax in the slightest. On the contrary, it only grew more tense. The guards of the eastern, western, and central City of Talas were all on high alert, even more careful than before.
As the Zi Period passed, the darkness deepened and the drowsiness deepened.
Everyone knew that night raids would often take place at this time.
Caw!
On the edge of the eastern battlefield, bonfires blazed and the cries of vultures could be heard in the night sky. At least five or six thousand Ouzan soldiers were patrolling the perimeter formed by the bonfires. The places they patrolled were newly built fences and towering sentry posts.
It was very difficult to imagine that the Ouzan, who were not known for their agricultural culture, would be able to learn the tactics of the Central Plains in such a short time.
"Keep your spirits up! That general of the Tang Dynasty loves sneak attacks the most! Keep your eyes open! Don't let the Tang people take advantage of any loopholes! "
Outside the sentry post, an Ouzan general with a long saber at his waist loudly rebuked the soldiers.
"Yes!"
At the sentry post, groups of Ouzan soldiers responded one after another. Their gazes were vigilant, like night falcons, sizing up the surroundings. Under such circumstances, no one could break through Ouzan's defenses without being discovered. Gallop clop clop clop. Smoke and dust billowed as teams of Ouzan cavalry patrolled in the night.
The dense blockade of cavalry and sentry posts formed a tight barrier that tightly guarded the camps of the Ouzan and Western Turks.
Time passed slowly. Dark clouds covered the moon, and the surroundings grew darker and darker.
After some time —
Di da da!
Just outside the southern defensive line of the Ouzan camp, there was a sudden rush of horse hooves. In an instant, the Ouzan people were on high alert.
"Who are you?!"
On the sentry tower, a Tibetan narrowed his eyes and turned his head, his eyes bright. He instantly drew his bow, the sharp arrowhead aimed at the area beyond the defense line, where the hooves were coming from. At almost the same time, in a radius of several hundred zhang, countless patrolling soldiers and even the Tibetans garrisoned elsewhere began to rush toward this area.
Countless eyes in the darkness followed the sound of the sentry's voice and looked in the direction of the hooves. By relying on the light of the bonfires, one could see countless figures rapidly approaching.
"Don't fight! We're on the same side! "
A hurried Ouzan voice could be heard in the darkness. But the soldiers on the sentry tower did not relax in the slightest at this familiar voice. On the contrary, they became even more nervous. Their entire bodies seemed to be facing a powerful foe. Thwish! With a shrill whistle, a sharp arrow landed on the ground in front of those figures.
"Stop right there! All of you, dismount and take off your helmets! I want to see your true faces! "
"This is the Prime Minister's order! Anyone who disobeys will die! "
The Ouzan soldier on the sentry tower shouted. As he spoke, he grabbed a torch from the sentry tower and threw it over.
The flame streaked across the sky and instantly lit up the night sky. But the next moment, an arrow streaked across the sky and hit the torch in the air.
"Hahaha, Dalun Ruozan is indeed powerful. He's prepared for this. Brothers, retreat!"
A loud laughter in Ouzan came from the darkness. Before the figures could get close to the bonfires, they waved their hands and led a group of soldiers to retreat into the darkness.
"Chase!"
Hearing the laughter, the Ouzan did not know what was going on. They roared angrily and urged their horses to give chase.
"Stop! All of you, come back! "
"The Prime Minister has ordered us not to chase a cornered enemy! Be careful of their ambush! "
A Tibetan officer rode out on a sturdy highland steed, his eyes gleaming as he hurried out to stop the group.
The neighing of Neigh's steed came to an abrupt halt, and the Ouzan cavalry that had been giving chase immediately retreated.
"These Ouzan are truly formidable. They didn't fall for our trick at all!"
Deep in the night, Sun Zhiming watched the retreating Ouzan soldiers, a hint of interest in his eyes.
"Dalun Ruozan truly is formidable. In the end, he's the wise minister of the Ouzan! Even Marquis has nothing but praise for him, and he's already seen Marquis's ambush methods in the war of the southwest, so he's probably prepared for it. This move of ours is practically useless against him. "
Behind Sun Zhiming, a Tang dynasty horseman who had participated in the war of the southwest said.
"Haha, it's more fun to be on guard. Let's retreat for now. In any case, we still have an entire night to play with the Ouzan!"
Sun Zhiming chuckled nonchalantly and led the group away, disappearing into the depths of the night.
At almost the same time, the news that the Tang people had disguised themselves as Ouzan soldiers to launch a sneak attack had reached the army camp behind the hills. The camp was brightly lit, and the precious map of the continent was spread out on a pitch-black metal table. Sitting next to it were Dalun Ruozan, Huoshu Huizang, Dusong Mangpoje, and Duwusili.
"Just as Prime Minister predicted, that brat is up to his old tricks again!"
Huoshu Huizang coldly snorted at the messenger's words.
"Haha, he's using the same method twice. It seems like I overestimated him."
Dalun Ruozan grinned, unconcerned. In his view, Wang Chong's methods had been nothing more than a child's game, utterly meaningless.
"If this is all he has up his sleeve tonight, I'm afraid everyone will be able to rest easy."
"Could it be that this was all he had and that Prime Minister overestimated him a little? Could a teenager have started learning the art of war in his mother's womb?"
Duwusili finally spoke, his voice tinged with resentment.
Although he was unwilling to admit it, Duwusili's Celestial Wolf's Divine Procession had run into an undefeatable opponent for the first time, and this opponent's cultivation and strength were both lower than his. This was something that Duwusili had never encountered before. To do this in front of Huoshu Huizang, Dusong Mangpoje, and the other Great Generals had utterly humiliated Duwusili.
On the side, Dusong Mangpoje slightly creased his brow at these words, but he said nothing.
"Haha, General's words are reasonable, but there's no harm in being careful. We should still be on our guard and be a little cautious."
Dalun Ruozan only faintly smiled, offering no retort.
Dalun Ruozan would never underestimate an opponent who had once defeated him, but there was no need to explain this to Duwusili.
"Prime Minister, do you need me to join the patrol?"
Dusong Mangpoje, who had been silent this entire time, suddenly spoke.
"This way, if the Tang people make a move, I can come to their aid at any time and make sure that they never return."
"There's no need!"
Dalun Ruozan's smile faded into a frown, and he quickly rejected Dusong Mangpoje's proposal. In the battle of the triangular gap, Dayan Mangpoje had died in battle and Dusong Mangpoje's tens of thousands of soldiers had been almost completely wiped out. Ever since that battle, Dusong Mangpoje had been in a rush to get revenge, even kneeling in front of the Great Snow Mountain Temple. How could Dalun Ruozan not understand what he was thinking? But now was not the time to let his emotions affect his decisions.
"As a general, you have to oversee the center of the army. You can't do everything yourself. You can just leave these minor matters to your subordinates. Moreover, the Tang people are crafty. Whether it's that Wang Chong or Gao Xianzhi, they're both experts at scheming. If they learn that you're participating in the patrol, they can use tactics to tire you out, making you constantly on the run without any time to rest. If a major battle breaks out, our defeat will be assured. "
With these final words, Dalun Ruozan's expression became extremely solemn.
Dusong Mangpoje was quiet for a few moments, and then he finally nodded.
The night was getting darker, and the faint moonlight from before had completely dimmed. Fifteen minutes later, while Dalun Ruozan and the others were still discussing countermeasures in the tent, the panting of hooves came from the center of the Ouzan defense line.
"Who goes there?!"
In the dark night, countless arrowheads were aimed in the direction of the sound of the horse's hooves. The Ouzan had been prepared, and anyone approaching would immediately trigger an immediate response from the Ouzan. Piercing the defenses of the Ouzan was no easy task.
"It's us! Don't attack! "
"We've received orders from the Duwusili Great General to report to your Ouzan commander's camp!"
A choppy voice in Ouzan came out of the darkness.
"The Western Turks?"
A hint of surprise flashed through the eyes of the soldiers on the sentry post, and they slowly loosened their bows. Even a muscular and swarthy Ouzan general with a long saber at his waist slowly sheathed his saber. In the light of the bonfires, they could clearly see that the figures on the other side were wearing Western Turkic armor.
"Put down the arrows! Without my order, no one is allowed to attack! "
The swarthy Ouzan general ordered as he waved down his arm. His eyes had been brimming with wariness, but they were now much more relaxed. The Western Turks and the Ouzan were allies, and although they did not speak the same language, they still had a common enemy. Fighting and causing misunderstandings would be detrimental to the overall situation.
"Many thanks!"
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