"Marquis, in truth … with our current conditions, it's still possible to make another one."
At this moment, an elderly voice came from behind them.
The four of them turned their gazes to Zhang Shouzhi, who was standing behind them.
"The greatest problem with the giant ballistae is that we don't have the experience and that the materials used are special, which is why we weren't confident in making them. But now that we've made one, we have experience that we can rely on. Although making a third one will still be extremely difficult, with enough time, it's possible. Moreover, the ballistae that were destroyed earlier are ready-made materials. We can also forge the other parts on the spot. As for the ballista bolts, they're also very easy to deal with … "
With these last words, Zhang Shouzhi turned his head to the first defense line, where the Arabian Behemoths had been shot down.
The ballista bolts used by the giant ballistae were different from the others. They had basically all been forged by Zhang Shouzhi and the others in the capital, gathering the best craftsmen and grandmasters of the various smithing clans and using the best techniques and materials. In the final forging process, a large number of formations and inscriptions had been added to the ballistae.
Only in this way could these giant ballista bolts pierce through the tough and elastic skin of the Behemoths and pierce through their steel-like bones. This was not something that could be casually forged on the battlefield. But these precious giant ballistae bolts were actually the least of Wang Chong's worries.
"Understood!"
On the other side, Cheng Qianli, the Vice Protector-General of the Anxi Protectorate army, had a sharp light in his eyes. He suddenly squeezed the horse's abdomen, and without saying a word, he immediately urged the horse to gallop towards the nearest rhino-shaped beast's corpse. Arriving in front of the gigantic beast, Cheng Qianli leaped onto its head. "Pu!" Cheng Qianli bent down and pulled forcefully, pulling out a bloody and heavy giant crossbow bolt from the gigantic beast's head.
Boom!
Cheng Qianli raised the giant ballista bolt as if it were light and threw it with all his might. The giant ballista bolt landed not far from one of the giant ballistae, causing a cloud of dust to rise into the air. One after another, he threw them over.
— — Each of these giant crossbow bolts was extremely heavy. Other than a top-notch general like Cheng Qianli, it would be very difficult for others to pull them out.
With Cheng Qianli's help, they managed to retrieve thirty to forty giant crossbow bolts in a short period of time. All of the heavy ballistae bolts were pulled out and stacked next to the two giant ballistae.
"Dong! Dong! Dong!
At this moment, war drums began to beat from the Arab camp. Not long after the four Behemoths began to charge, the two hundred thousand Arab cavalry suddenly began to move. Like a black tide, they followed the Behemoths and charged toward the Tang people's defense line.
"Kill!"
"Destroy them! Kill these heathens!"
Battle cries shook the heavens and the earth, and accompanied by the thumping of the war drums, a violent, ferocious, and murderous aura whistled over like an avalanche.
The war had finally begun!
"Ready!"
In the gloomy sky, a loud voice resounded over the defense line. Clangclangclang! Swords were unsheathed and gleaming in the air.
"Shield soldiers, get ready!"
"Ballistae, get into position!"
"Cavalry, assume formation!"
… …
Military orders were issued one after another, clear and unambiguous, from top to bottom, constantly spreading throughout the entire army. In a flash, the more than one hundred thousand soldiers of the Qixi Protectorate army and the Anxi Protectorate army began to move. The sounds of footsteps, armor clanking, swords clanking, shields vibrating, and the sound of the furnace forging merged into one.
The Tang Dynasty army was like an enormous machine, and a powerful energy instantly engulfed the entire Tang Dynasty army.
The battlefield was so somber that even the distant Ouzan and Western Turks were affected. All of them were so focused and nervous that they almost forgot to breathe.
"Masil! Get ready! You should move out as well! "
In the distance, Abu Muslim stared at the Tang Dynasty defense line and suddenly ordered without turning his head.
"Heh! Understood. "
Masil seemed to have predicted this, and as he looked at the distant Tang Dynasty defense line, he gave a sinister smile and began to walk to the rear. A few moments later, a fissure opened up in the ground, and Masil vanished into it.
Roooar!
The giant beasts roared, and the rumbling footsteps shook the earth and the sky. They were getting closer and closer to the army and the first line of defense. Their heavy bodies stomped on the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust that was more than ten meters high. Behind the Behemoths, the Arab cavalry waved their scimitars and surged forward like a flood.
Three thousand zhang!
Twenty-five thousand zhang!
The four Behemoths and the vast sea of Arab cavalry charged at the Tang people's defense line.
"All soldiers, get ready!"
Li Siye led the five thousand Wushang cavalry to the very front of the defense line, his thunderous voice echoing in everyone's ears.
Nervous!
Incomparably nervous!
The tension between the two armies had multiplied. Whether it was the Arabs, the Tang people, or the mercenaries, all of them were staring at each other, their hands gripping their weapons so tightly that the veins on their arms bulged.
At this moment, even Wang Chong and Gao Xianzhi appeared a little nervous. The decisive battle between the Arabs and the Tang Dynasty was probably about to begin.
"Ballista army!"
When the Arabs and Behemoths were still two thousand zhang from the defense line, Wang Chong unsheathed his sword and gave the order. In an instant, the creaking sounds of machinery rose and fell incessantly in the ears of everyone present. The three thousand ballistae were all nocked and aimed at the enemy.
The only force that could pose a threat to both the Arab cavalry and the Behemoths was the ballista army. Although they could not deal as much damage as the giant ballistae, they had the advantage in numbers, and they were still effective in this battle.
But just when all three thousand ballistae had been loaded, there was a massive boom. Behind the Arab army, on the distant horizon, the ground suddenly quaked as if something had just exploded. Translated by: Hypersheep325 Edited by: Michyrr
The commotion was so great that it was accompanied by a series of changes in light and shadow. In an instant, it quickly attracted everyone's attention.
"What's that?"
At the front of the defense line, Wang Chong, Gao Xianzhi, and Cheng Qianli stood shoulder to shoulder. Cheng Qianli narrowed his eyes at this sight. Wang Chong and Gao Xianzhi said nothing, but both of them had an ill foreboding. No matter what that explosion was, for it to appear at a time like this was not a good thing.
Whoooah!
Suddenly, the crowd fell into an uproar. The confusion of the army did not last for long before the answer was quickly revealed.
"Look over there!"
"What's that?"
"A meteor! It's a meteor! "
… …
As the Tang soldiers watched in shock, a massive 'meteor', blazing with dark green flames, began to tumble through the air as it hurtled toward the Tang soldiers. By the time the Tang soldiers noticed it, it was only several hundred zhang from their heads.
"Careful!"
Wang Chong's pupils constricted as an intense sense of danger welled up in his heart. This scene was far too bizarre, and not even Wang Chong had predicted it. But even though Wang Chong had warned them, it was too late.
"Boom!"
In the time it takes for a spark to fly off a flint, there was an earth-shattering boom. The huge, burning 'meteorite' flew through the air for hundreds of meters and smashed heavily into the ground.
"Ah!"
A series of miserable screams rang out as the meteors crashed into the ground, triggering an earth-shattering explosion. The shockwaves sent many Tang soldiers and Western Regions mercenaries flying with their horses. Countless pieces of rubble shot out in all directions like sharp arrows under the influence of the shockwaves.
Neigh! The warhorses neighed, and countless warhorses' eyes widened as they retreated in terror. The meteors continued to fall, and the army was thrown into chaos.
Right in the middle of these warhorses was a huge crater. The crater had a diameter of more than ten meters, and the core area was six to seven meters deep. At the deepest part of the crater was a "giant egg". The egg was dark green and was five or six people tall. Its mottled surface appeared to be made of some kind of tough metal, and it was burning with dark green flames.
Kacha, a series of crisp sounds came from the giant egg. The moment it hit the ground, the dark green 'egg', which had been mistaken for a meteor, immediately cracked into tiny black cracks. Boom! Before anyone could react, a huge hand that looked like dark steel suddenly reached out from inside and grabbed the edge of the crack.
"Heh heh heh, all of you, die!"
A cold and tyrannical voice, accompanied by a strong murderous aura, suddenly rang in everyone's ears. At that moment, everyone saw clearly that the hand that reached out from inside the egg was actually bigger than a horse! And behind the egg, there was a pair of scarlet and terrifying eyes.
"Ah!"
There were cries of alarm all around. Countless warhorses seemed to be greatly frightened and retreated, neighing in fear. In the time it takes for a spark to fly off a flint, under everyone's horrified gazes, the giant egg split open. Amidst the clanging sounds of steel, a pitch-black giant that looked like steel rose from within the giant egg.
Ten meters, fifteen meters, seventeen meters … In the end, the giant's height stopped at eighteen meters.
With dark brown steel-like skin, a tall and mighty body, and a pair of tyrannical, evil, and destructive eyes, this was an ancient giant in myths and legends! And the mottled green 'eggshell' was the giant's armor.
Boom!
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