"But there's another matter. That new Tang Dynasty commander seems to have had a little conflict with Wanhe Peiluo. Moreover, the Karluks still haven't opened the gates of Talas as promised. If we don't resolve these two matters, the Karluks won't be able to trust us. "
A moment later, Ziyad suddenly said.
The battlefield was too far away, and the more than one hundred thousand soldiers of the Tang Dynasty were in the middle. Even Abu Muslim and Ziyad only knew that a conflict had taken place at the mouth of the distant City of Talas, but they didn't know the specifics.
"They can't be trusted. When the time comes, we'll kill them all!"
Abu Muslim waved his hand, his expression cold and callous.
"That's right, when will the two armies His Majesty spoke of arrive?"
"I've already sent a letter. They're on their way and not far from here. They should arrive at sunrise."
Ziyad said.
"Very good. Perhaps we won't even need the Karluks. Once those two armies arrive, we can completely destroy the Tang Dynasty and the City of Talas!"
Abu Muslim's eyes shone so brightly that not even the darkness could conceal them.
Slowly, everything calmed down, but a hidden danger continued to intensify in the air.
… …
Bwoooom!
With a loud yak horn, dawn broke in the east and thousands of scarlet rays of sunlight burst over the horizon. A few moments later, the rising sun dispelled the darkness and illuminated the scarred and majestic City of Talas as well as the camps of the Ouzan and the Western Turks.
With the sound of the horn, tens of thousands of Ouzan soldiers surged out of their tents and gathered into ranks, their horses valiant and spirited, brimming with the will to fight.
All the scars of last night's battle were covered by the sunlight, and the entire Ouzan army was once more brimming with killing intent.
In the distance, between the two steel defense lines in front of the City of Talas, countless Tang Dynasty soldiers were mobilizing behind the steel walls, assuming a defensive stance.
The killing intent and aura of war that had been concealed by the darkness once more filled the air with the arrival of dawn.
Dong dong dong dong!
Dense sounds of war drums resounded throughout the entire City of Talas. The city gates opened, and countless soldiers poured out. Between the two lines of defense, there were infantry, archers, ballistae, axemen, cavalry … All the different types of troops were clearly separated and lined up at the back.
Screech!
Just when the atmosphere on the battlefield gradually became tense, a long arrow pierced through the air, flying from the direction of the Ouzan campsite to the sky above the City of Talas. The ear-piercing whistle could be heard clearly even from more than ten miles away.
"Wang Chong! Do you dare to come out and meet me? "
A loud voice suddenly came from the Ouzan camp. The voice was loud and clear, and it was hard to believe that it was the voice of an Ouzan.
Three figures rode out of the Ouzan camp in a cloud of dust, galloping toward the City of Talas.
Around a thousand zhang from the City of Talas, Dalun Ruozan stopped, his head raised as he silently waited. His eyes narrowed as if he was waiting for something.
Even though the atmosphere between the two defense lines was getting more and more tense, the entire Tang Dynasty camp was quiet, deathly still, with no response.
After some time, just when Huoshu Huicang and Dusong Mangpoje were beginning to grow impatient, a young voice came from the distance, exuding a powerful aura.
"Dalun Ruozan, I trust you've been well since we last met!"
With an excited neigh, a pure-white warhorse carrying a young figure appeared in the northeast corner of the City of Talas.
"Wang Chong!"
Dalun Ruozan narrowed his eyes and turned his head. He had not expected Wang Chong to appear in this place. But Dalun Ruozan quickly smiled.
"After not seeing each other for half a year, I didn't think that Lord Protector-General's art of war would get even better. I've only heard of beasts learning from men, but never of men learning from beasts. Lord Protector-General has truly broadened my horizons!"
As Dalun Ruozan spoke, he even clasped his hands, an expression of 'sincere' admiration on his face.
"Haha, no matter how brilliant you are, how can you compare to Prime Minister? You clearly knew that I was prepared, but you still sent more than three thousand people to collide with my blade!"
Wang Chong heartily laughed.
In a flash, Dalun Ruozan, Huoshu Huizang, and Dusong Mangpoje all turned gloomy. Wang Chong was clearly mocking the fact that the raiding party they had sent last night had been stopped by Wang Chong and suffered grievous losses. They had both sent soldiers to ambush and disguised themselves as the enemy, but in this contest, Dalun Ruozan had completely lost.
But Dalun Ruozan quickly regained his composure.
"Victory and defeat are commonplace for a soldier. Ouzan can still afford to lose, but the Young Marquis is different. Without five hundred ballistae, I hope that the Young Marquis can still smile in this battle."
Dalun Ruozan faintly smiled, his movements calm and composed, exuding an aura that even Wang Chong couldn't help but sigh in admiration.
"Hahaha …"
Standing atop the walls of Talas, Wang Chong couldn't help but laugh at these words. The superior faction attacked schemes while the inferior faction attacked soldiers. Attacking the heart was superior to attacking the city. The moment Dalun Ruozan said these words, Wang Chong understood why he had come.
"There is no need for Prime Minister to worry about this. The Tang Dynasty has many treasures. Let alone a trifling five hundred ballistae, even if they had more ballistae, it would only take a few moments for them to build."
Wang Chong looked into the distance, his right hand swinging down.
"Chen Bin!"
Rumble! Wang Chong's voice was like a signal, and in the light of the morning sun, the gates of the City of Talas opened. As Dalun Ruozan, Huoshu Huizang, and Dusong Mangpoje watched, massive ballistae loaded onto transport carriages streamed out of the City of Talas. Under the command of their leader, Chen Bin, the well-trained ballistae moved with incredible speed to the gaps in the second defense line.
From a distance, one could see that there were nearly five hundred ballistae, no more, no less. Last night, the Tang Dynasty had lost five hundred ballistae, leaving only around twenty-five hundred on the two defense lines. But now, Wang Chong had produced another five hundred.
"Release!"
With Chen Bin's order, the five hundred ballistae adjusted their direction, raised their ballistae into the air, and fired. Boomboomboom! There was a heaven-shaking boom as the five hundred ballista bolts shot into the heavens. A few moments later, five hundred thick ballista bolts descended from the heavens, piercing through the air as they plunged into the battlefield five to six hundred zhang above the City of Steel.
"Buzz!"
At this sight, Dalun Ruozan, Huoshu Huizang, and Dusong Mangpoje, the minister and two generals of the Ouzan Empire felt like they had been slapped in the face, their faces contorted into unsightly grimaces.
"What's going on here?"
"The scouts reported that weren't five hundred ballistae destroyed? Why do they still have so many ballistae? "
"How could there be such a thing? The scouts couldn't have made such a mistake!"
Even Dalun Ruozan and Huoshu Huizang were dumbfounded. The scouts they had dispatched last night had confirmed time and time again that Abu Sangji's forces had truly destroyed nearly five hundred Tang Dynasty ballistae. There was no mistake about this. The scouts of the Ouzan Empire might not be as elite as those of the Tang Dynasty, but they would never make such a mistake on such a basic matter.
"We've been tricked again! Abu Sangji's attacks probably weren't even real ballistae! "
Dalun Ruozan took in a deep breath, his mind in turmoil.
"But how could this be? Can Abu Sangji not even tell the difference between ballistae? "
Huoshu Huizang said in disbelief.
Abu Sangji was a valiant general of the Yarlung Royal Faction. He was extremely experienced and wouldn't make such a childish mistake. If he hadn't confirmed it multiple times, he wouldn't have moved out so easily.
"I don't know what's going on either, but there's no doubt that Abu Sangji has fallen for their trap. The specific structure of the Tang Dynasty ballistae has always been a secret. Not many Tang people know about it, let alone us. At most, Abu Sangji can only tell the shape of the ballistae. If my guess is correct, that fellow must've done something to them. "
Dalun Ruozan said. As he gazed at the white horse atop the distant City of Talas and that young figure, Dalun Ruozan's heart was filled with complex emotions.
A general was the leader of an army and the soul of an army. If there was the slightest flaw in their every move, or if there was even the slightest flaw in their mind, the army could suffer a devastating blow. This was the true reason Dalun Ruozan had met with Wang Chong.
If he could reveal a flaw in Wang Chong's mind and strike a blow to his confidence, the entire Great Tang army would be affected. But there was no question that Wang Chong had won this round.
With this person in the Tang Dynasty, our Ouzan won't be able to live in peace for the next forty years.
Dalun Ruozan gave a deep sigh, an indescribable feeling welling up in his heart.
In the Ouzan Empire, Dalun Ruozan's intelligence was practically unparalleled on the plateau. Other than the Tsenpo's Imperial Minister, Dalon Trinling, no one else could compare to him. But Dalun Ruozan just had to run into Wang Chong, an opponent who surpassed him in both intelligence and strategy. Dalun Ruozan couldn't help but recall a book from the Central Plains that he had once read.
Since Yu was born, how could Liang be born? Dalun Ruozan gave a deep sigh, unable to speak.
In the distance, atop the high City of Talas, Wang Chong rode on his snow-white warhorse, silently smiling at the trio below.
A psychological attack!
For Dalun Ruozan to flaunt the art of war of the Central Plains in front of the War Saint of the Central Plains was nothing more than a display of slight skill before an expert.
"Prime Minister! The culture of the Central Plains is vast and profound. I hear that Prime Minister is fond of collecting the various classics and histories of the Central Plains, books on war and strategy. Once this battle is over, Wang Chong will give Prime Minister another one thousand books. Read it one hundred times, and the meaning will naturally become apparent. Prime Minister still needs to read more! "
Wang Chong placed particular emphasis on these last words, and then he roared with laughter.
"Prime Minister, Wang Chong is busy with military affairs, so I won't keep you company. We'll meet again on the battlefield!"
In the Neigh, Wang Chong pulled on the reins, turned his horse around, and rode off on his snow-white warhorse.
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.
