"At least six or seven thousand!"
Li Siye said.
It was impossible to accurately calculate the number of casualties in the Ouzan camp, so this was only an estimate. But even so, the fact that the four-thousand-strong raiding force had managed to kill six or seven thousand while only losing sixty to seventy of their own could be considered a great success.
"Not bad! This means that the Ouzan and the Western Turkic Khaganate should only have sixty-thousand-some left, leaving less and less room for Dalun Ruozan to maneuver. I'm confident that from now on, he'll be more and more careful in his movements. "
Gao Xianzhi gave a satisfied nod.
Wang Chong and Gao Xianzhi had a very clear goal in this raid against the Ouzan. They wanted to effectively kill the enemy's strength and constantly whittle down the number of soldiers under Dalun Ruozan's command.
In this aspect, Wang Chong and his raiding force had achieved their goal.
"What about Lord Gao?"
Wang Chong asked.
Just as Gao Xianzhi didn't know the exact situation on Wang Chong's side, Wang Chong didn't know what Gao Xianzhi was doing. Only Gao Xianzhi and Cheng Qianli, the two highest commanders of the Anxi Protectorate army, knew the details, including the casualties.
"Haha, this operation was just as you expected. Abu Muslim really wasn't on his guard. He was too confident, so confident that he believed that with more than two hundred thousand soldiers, we wouldn't dare to attack him. Thus, this operation was much easier. "
Gao Xianzhi smiled at these words.
"Perhaps it wasn't just that he was too confident, but that he believed that even if we succeeded, it wouldn't have much of an impact on the overall situation, that it wouldn't matter at all."
Wang Chong faintly smiled.
"This isn't about the overall situation. If Abu Muslim really thinks this way, then he's gravely mistaken."
Gao Xianzhi turned his head around and looked at an assistant general behind him.
"Huai Shun, have the Arab hunting falcons settled down? How many did you get this time? "
"Milord, everything has been arranged. There are a total of three hunting falcons. They've all been given to the eagle trainers in the army. "
The Anxi Deputy General Kang Huaishun respectfully replied.
"Are the follow-up measures in place? Will it arouse suspicion? "
Gao Xianzhi said.
"According to Milord's orders, we have already taken care of the corpses of three rock eagles that look very similar to Arabian hunting falcons and left them in the Arab camp. All that was left of the rock eagles were minced meat and feathers. They looked very much like hunting falcons. If the Arabs weren't careful, they wouldn't be able to tell. Moreover, the people who raided the camp reported that the Arabs had many hunting falcons. The loss of only three hunting falcons shouldn't attract their attention. "
Kang Huaishun said sincerely.
Kang Huaishun was also a renowned general of the Anxi Protectorate army, and he had been tasked with carrying out this night raid.
Wang Chong listened on the side and secretly nodded. The primary goal of the Anxi Protectorate army's mission to the Arab camp was not to kill the Arabs, but to capture the fierce Arabian hunting falcons. Dalun Ruozan used these ferocious Arabian hunting falcons to communicate with the Arabs. If they could successfully steal these Arabian hunting falcons, they could cut off the communication between the Arabs and Dalun Ruozan.
"But there's another problem. The Arabian hunting falcons have fierce temperaments. They've been screaming ever since they returned from the Arab camp. Our men have done everything we can to quiet them down. Moreover, they're not willing to eat the meat we feed them. "
Kang Huaishun said.
If the hunting falcons couldn't be tamed, they couldn't be used. Even capturing them would be useless.
"This problem is easy to solve."
Wang Chong gave a carefree smile.
"General Kang, I have a falcon-tamer under my command called Zhang Que. He has done a great deal of research on Arabian falcons, so leave this matter to him."
"Huai Shun, let's do as Lord Wang says."
Gao Xianzhi faintly smiled and said.
"In addition, leave that Nurman, the Arab general who launched the night raid to Protector-General Wang!"
"Oh?"
Wang Chong's eyes brightened in surprise. He had believed that Xi Yuan had killed Nurman. He hadn't expected that Xi Yuan would keep him alive.
"Then I'll have to thank you."
Now that the battle was imminent, Wang Chong's Great Yinyang Heaven Creation Art would grow stronger with every person it absorbed. This would be even more helpful in the upcoming battle.
"Yes!"
Kang Huaishun bowed his head and left.
"Lord Gao! Lord Wang! "
At this moment, Guli, who had been silent this entire time, suddenly spoke.
"There's another matter …"
Guli's expression was nervous, and he hesitated. This action quickly attracted the attention of everyone in the hall. Even Wang Chong and the Ferghanan Chief Banahan turned to look.
"What's wrong, Guli?"
Gao Xianzhi said in surprise.
"This … During the Arab raid, a group of soldiers climbed over the walls and sneaked into the city. They secretly contacted our Karluk Tribe and mentioned this matter."
Guli stammered, his expression revealing great apprehension. The mood in the hall instantly turned strange. Although Guli had not said what this matter was, everyone immediately understood that the Arabs clearly did not know that Wanhe Peiluo had been killed and the Karluk Tribe had been exposed. Moreover, they had even sent someone to secretly contact them.
"Lord Protector-Generals, our Karluk Tribe truly has no intention of rebelling. Lord Protector-Generals, please understand …"
Guli sincerely said.
"Guli, there's no need to panic. We believe in you."
Gao Xianzhi comforted, calming Guli down with these words.
"Many thanks, Milord!"
Guli gratefully said.
On the surface, they had sent the Deathwing Team to attack the Tang Dynasty army behind the first defense line, but in reality, they had secretly sent someone to contact the Karluk Tribe in the city. No one had expected this.
The fact that Guli had mentioned this matter was enough to prove his sincerity toward the Tang Dynasty.
"Wang Chong, what do you think of this matter?"
Gao Xianzhi said.
Wang Chong said nothing, only a faint smile appeared on his lips. The bright light of the torches shone on his face, making Wang Chong exude a unique aura.
"Since the Arabs are in such a rush, what harm is there in agreeing?"
Wang Chong asked with a smile. Everyone in the hall froze for a moment, and then they couldn't help but smile.
… …
This night was bound to be a restless one. While the City of Talas was ablaze with lanterns, elsewhere, the Ouzan and the Western Turks had gathered together.
But unlike in the City of Talas, the mood here was much more somber. All the Ouzan generals responsible for sentry posts were standing, their faces fearful and silent.
On this night, the entire Ouzan camp had been turned upside down by the nearly one thousand Tang people. Even though they had set up so many sentry posts and patrolling soldiers, no one knew where the Tang people had first attacked. And even though the battle was over, no one knew.
This was a complete disgrace!
"All of you carefully think about it. Did you really not discover anything?"
Dalun Ruozan sat down on a chair and looked at the Ouzan generals. His voice was flat and gentle, devoid of any anger, but the Ouzan generals in the tent lowered their heads in unease.
"Bastard!"
There was a thunderous roar. While Dalun Ruozan was not angry, Huoshu Huizang could not help but explode.
On this night, all of Ü-Tsang had been toyed with in the palm of Wang Chong's hand. No one had been able to answer even a simple question, causing Huoshu Huicang's rage to erupt.
"Huoshu, you can't blame them for this. That person isn't someone they can fight against. He planned for so long before taking action, so he must have made thorough preparations. He wouldn't have left us too many clues. "
Dalun Ruozan comforted.
He had never been an impatient person, but his slightly furrowed brow betrayed his thoughts. It was clear that he, like Huoshu Huizang, also found it difficult to let go of this matter.
It wasn't that Ouzan couldn't fail, but it couldn't fail without knowing how.
"Prime Minister!"
At this moment, a series of hurried footsteps came from outside the tent. The curtain was lifted, and an Ouzan orderly with a machete on his waist barged in from outside. As soon as he saw them, he immediately knelt on one knee.
"We were patrolling outside and found something. It seems to be left behind by the Tang people!"
"What is it?"
Dalun Ruozan raised his eyebrows and said. At the same time, the others also looked over.
"It's some wolf skins!"
The orderly said while kneeling on the ground.
"Buzz!"
As soon as he said that, Huoshu Huizang and the others did not react, but Dalun Ruozan was shocked. In a flash, countless thoughts flashed through his mind.
"Bring me there!"
Dalun Ruozan stood up from his seat without hesitation.
… …
A few moments later, several hundred zhang away from a sentry post, Dalun Ruozan, Huoshu Huizang, Dusong Mangpoje, Duwusili, and the other generals arrived at the site of the incident. Dalun Ruozan's reputation, strict orders, and strict training had proved effective. The moment these things were discovered, the surrounding Ouzan soldiers did not move on their own. Instead, they left everything behind and waited for Dalun Ruozan to deal with them.
"Are they all here?"
Dalun Ruozan asked. His brow was tightly furrowed as he stared at the massive wolf skins on the ground, his expression very unsightly. Around him, Huoshu Huizang and Dusong Mangpoje also had unsightly expressions. Even Duwusili had the same expression.
"Replying to Prime Minister, there are still some wolf skins scattered in other places. But the majority of them are here. "
A low-ranking Ouzan officer explained.
"Our people didn't pay much attention at the start, but after the battle ended, we realized that something was wrong. All the wolf skins scattered on the ground are empty. There's no bone, no flesh, not even a drop of blood. They've all been cleaned up. This isn't normal at all. "
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