Altik's archers had managed to inflict significant damage on Abu Muslim's elite cavalry. Fortunately, these elite cavalry were all wearing sturdy armor and had small shields on their left arms. Once the power of the arrows was blocked by their armor and shields, the damage they did was greatly reduced.
Thus, overall, the casualties of the three hundred elite cavalry were not very severe. Only ten-some of them had been dismounted, and some of the injured had chosen to withdraw because they could not fight. The overall loss of fighting power was not very great.
The arrows fired by the Khorasan elite cavalry were also unable to inflict much damage on Altik's archers because they were too far away. Many of the soldiers were only injured, and the arrows did not penetrate very deeply into their bodies.
But Altik's archers were all light cavalry, and their primary method of attack was long-range shooting. If the two sides clashed at close range, their only option would be death.
Thus, after the first volley of attacks, the five hundred archers immediately turned their horses around and rode to the side, preparing to fire a second volley.
"Hahaha! Did you see that! The two armies haven't even clashed yet, but the enemy cavalry is already fleeing in fright. As expected, this is a mob that can't take a single blow. "
Abu Muslim happily laughed at this sight. He felt that the enemy cavalry was far too weak, not even having the courage to fight at close range. In this way, he didn't need much energy to deal with such an opponent. He felt like he only needed to raise his hand to exterminate them.
A pleased smile appeared on Ziyad's lips. He had not seen any problems. From a distance, all he could see was the panicked fleeing figures of his enemy and the heroic pursuit of his own cavalry. He had even predicted what would happen next. The enemy cavalry would crumble under the powerful assault of his own cavalry and completely scatter. Meanwhile, his own cavalry would lunge at the next group of cavalry and use the same method to exterminate the next group of cavalry.
However, the situation did not develop as Abu Muslim and Ziyad had predicted. The enemy cavalry had dodged, but they had not scattered. Instead, they had very carefully maintained a certain distance from their elite cavalry and used their hidden crossbows to attack the pursuing Khorasan cavalry.
Just like before, this round of attacks had failed to inflict much damage on the Khorasan cavalry, but even the loss of a single soldier was enough to make Abu Muslim's heart ache. After all, these three hundred cavalry were his elite soldiers, his personal guards. Each one of them was like his own son, extremely close to each other.
Seeing that the enemy cavalry had not scattered and that their own soldiers had suffered even more casualties, Abu Muslim and Ziyad found this unacceptable. The situation was not as they had imagined.
This was followed by a third round of attacks, with more casualties. Abu Muslim finally understood that the enemy cavalry were not fleeing in disorder, but were using this method to exhaust his elite forces. This made his heart ache, but it also infuriated him. He wanted nothing more than to wipe out all the enemy cavalry.
But even worse was that another group of cavalry was approaching. If this group of cavalry were to attack from behind, they would form a pincer attack on the Khorasan cavalry. Even if they were to clash in close quarters, they would still be able to deal a massive blow to the Khorasan elites.
Abu Muslim gasped. If his three hundred guards were to suffer grievous losses, he would be very distressed. If he gave the order to retreat at this time, he would appear far too cowardly. Thus, he was somewhat hesitant, and without his order, his elite cavalry would not retreat.
But the situation once more took Abu Muslim by surprise. The other group of five hundred cavalry did not try to surround the Khorasan elite cavalry. Instead, they were charging straight at them. Their intentions could not be more obvious. They wanted to capture or kill Abu Muslim. His clothes were simply too high class. Even a fool could tell that he was a man of very high status.
"General, they're charging at us. We should hurry and retreat!"
Ziyad said as he ordered his ten guards to bring up the rear.
Abu Muslim naturally would not take the risk of bringing ten cavalry to fight against five hundred cavalry. That would be like striking a rock with an egg, so he helplessly ordered, "Pass on my order. Have all the guards return. Retreat."
After saying this, he urged his horse back to the main camp.
Abu Muslim's main camp was ten-some li away, not very far. Thus, as long as they retreated, they would be able to make it in time.
Upon receiving this order, the elite Khorasan cavalry immediately began to retreat. Because they had retreated in such a hurry, they didn't even have time to take the corpses of their comrades with them, so they could only leave them behind. The wounded soldiers could only pray that they would survive.
After pursuing Abu Muslim for three to five li, the five hundred cavalry saw the dense enemy camp in the distance and immediately broke out in a cold sweat. They did not dare to pursue any further, or else they might not be able to return. But after turning their horses around, they encountered the elite Khorasan cavalry. Thus, the two groups of cavalry began to surround and attack the Khorasan elite cavalry. Ballista fire after ballista volleys inflicted significant losses on the retreating Khorasan cavalry.
However, it was impossible to completely wipe out this elite force. After all, they were equipped with excellent armor and had rather formidable defenses. Many of the soldiers had been struck by ballista bolts, but they had not suffered too many injuries and were still able to gallop on their horses.
But this was not enough. The archers were all light cavalry and could move a little faster than the elite Khorasan cavalry. Thus, they were completely capable of chasing the enemy while firing a volley of ballista bolts, thereby wiping out the enemy's strength. But after a while, they had to stop, because the enemy was in the distance. If they continued the pursuit, they would be in grave danger.
Once the enemy had fled, the archers began to gather their forces and inspect their own corpses. They also captured the wounded enemy soldiers and brought them back to the city.
After this fierce battle, the one thousand archers had lost thirty soldiers and fifty wounded, but the result was still pretty good. The enemy Khorasan cavalry had lost nearly eighty men, with more than thirty of them being captured. Of course, many of them had also been wounded, but their wounds were not very serious and they had managed to escape.
Even though the difference in casualties was not very large, the enemy was still an elite Khorasan cavalry. This filled the archers with confidence that the enemy cavalry was not as strong as they had imagined.
Upon returning to the camp, Abu Muslim was in an extremely bad mood. He did not return to his tent, but instead stopped his horse and waited for the guards behind him.
"General, the majority of the guards have returned. The losses aren't that great."
Ziyad's complexion was also rather unsightly, but in this situation, he could not add fuel to the fire. He had to do his best to preserve the face of the Khorasan cavalry.
"At least seventy or eighty of our men didn't return, and you call that not a great loss? Pass on my order. Mobilize five thousand cavalry. We must annihilate these enemy cavalry. Not a single one can be left alive."
Abu Muslim angrily gave the order.
Ziyad hurriedly said, "General, calm your anger. It's definitely too late to dispatch soldiers now. The enemy cavalry have probably already fled back into the city. Going there will be a waste of time."
"We still have to go. Ziyad, personally lead a group. Even if we can't find the enemy cavalry, we have to at least bring back the corpses of our men."
Abu Muslim said.
Ziyad could only obey the order. He immediately led the armed cavalry in charge of guarding the area where the battle had taken place.
Abu Muslim looked at his two-hundred-some guards, the majority of whom had arrows sticking out of their bodies, with a heavy heart. His original estimates had not been accurate. Although the enemy cavalry were all new recruits, they were all equipped with the elite weapons provided by the Tang dynasty, so they were quite powerful. If he had not insisted on equipping them with small shields, the casualties would have been even higher. Fortunately, there were not many enemy cavalry, or else they would truly have been a major threat to his Khorasan cavalry.
"Have the soldiers quickly treat their wounds. Use the best medicine."
Abu Muslim loved his personal guards dearly, and for this reason, he treated them with the best of treatment.
While his guards were being treated, Abu Muslim began to consider how to attack the city. Since Mansur had given him this mission, he had to complete it, no matter how great the difficulty. But after this round of clashes, he suddenly realized that the enemy he was facing was not as weak as he had imagined. On the contrary, they were rather strong. If the enemy defenders were all using powerful ballistae, they would definitely inflict enormous damage on his assault force. Even if he managed to take the city, he would probably lose a large number of soldiers. This was not something he was willing to do.
How could he reduce his own casualties while still taking the city? Abu Muslim began to ponder this problem. He was willing to pay any price to achieve this goal.
Ziyad quickly returned. It was clear that he had not encountered the enemy cavalry. He had only brought back the bodies of the dead and the wounded soldiers who had been captured.
"General, there are still twenty-some soldiers missing. It seems that they were captured."
Ziyad truthfully reported the situation.
"Ziyad, send someone to Ahl City to demand our soldiers. Tell them that if they don't return our soldiers, once the city is breached, not a single one of the civilians will be left."
Abu Muslim viciously said.
"Not a single one will be left? Isn't this a little too cruel?"
Seiyad felt his heart skip a beat.
Abu Muslim chuckled. "For victory, anything can be done. Don't be so soft-hearted. This will only harm you, do you understand? Ziyad. "
"Yes, I'll send someone to Ahl City to demand the prisoners."
Ziyad could only obey the order.
"Ziyad, you know that the enemy's ballistae are extremely formidable, much more so than our own. If this continues, our assault force will suffer enormous losses. What do you think we should do?"
Abu Muslim asked.
Ziyad thought for a moment before saying, "General, the battle hasn't even been fought, so I don't know how to attack. At the very least, we should feign an attack to determine just how strong the defenses are."
"Haha! You're right! We have to figure out just how strong the enemy's defenses are, and only then can we formulate a corresponding attack strategy. We need to build more siege weapons, and if we don't have enough soldiers, we can grab some skilled carpenters and have them work with us. "
Abu Muslim ordered.
"Yes, General."
Ziyad replied and immediately went to make the arrangements.
The commander of Ahl City was delighted to see that his cavalry had achieved significant results in the battle. He hurriedly requested that all the cavalry who had participated in the battle be given a good meal. As for the cavalry who had died, their families were given large subsidies, and the wounded were immediately treated.
As for the twenty-some captured enemy cavalry, they naturally had to be treated. Otherwise, if they died, it would not be very good.
These prisoners could be used to display the achievements of the cavalry, clearly telling all the soldiers that the enemy was not undefeatable. As long as the soldiers fought with all their strength, they were completely capable of defeating the enemy. Moreover, if their own soldiers were captured in the future, they could use these prisoners to exchange for them. They could even use these prisoners as messengers between the two sides.
"General, Abu Muslim has sent someone to the city gate to make a ruckus. He wants us to immediately release the prisoners, or else he will slaughter all the people in the city on the day the city falls," a soldier reported.
"Abu Muslim is truly vicious.
"Abu Muslim is truly vicious. He dares to threaten us with a massacre. We're not scared, so what's the big deal? Just cut off the ears of those people."
The commander of Ahl rudely gave the order. He would never agree to such an unreasonable demand, or else he would have no prestige to speak of. If he could agree to such a rude demand, he might as well just surrender. What was the point of fighting?!
However, after the order was given, the general of Aer City asked all the troops to reinforce the city walls and prepare as many defensive materials as possible in order to prepare for the upcoming battle.
The soldier who had lost his two ears returned to the camp, his face covered in dirt, and he gave an embellished account of what had happened to him. This infuriated Abu Muslim, and he swore that as long as he could break through Ahl City, he would slaughter all the people in the city to quell today's humiliation.
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