Chapter 1051 - The Assault of a Powerful Enemy!
Chapter 1051: The Assault of a Powerful Enemy!
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
Time slowly passed. As the Arabs, Tibetans, and Western Turks began to move out, several eagles flew through the air, causing scouts to rush into Talas in extremely frantic states.
“Reporting!
“Bad news! The Arabs have been sighted! A force of Arab cavalry is approaching Talas at full speed. Our estimates put them at four hundred thousand soldiers!”
Several scouts had charged into the reception hall, but their reports were one and the same.
Boom!
Like a boulder crashing into a lake, the scouts’ reports made everyone stand up in alarm. Although the Khorasani had already said that an army of four hundred thousand Arab soldiers was approaching, seeing it actually realized left all of them stunned.
“It’s been more than a month. This day had to come eventually.”
Gao Xianzhi gave a deep sigh as he stood up from the enormous conference table, his eyes turning to Wang Chong sitting across from him.
“Mm.”
Wang Chong nodded. Though his face showed no emotion, his mind was in a complicated mood. What should have come had come. After waiting for so long, the Great Tang and Arabia would finally have their unavoidable war, but this war was different from the last one. This was the true decisive battle. Only one of Arabia and the Great Tang could emerge alive from Talas. Only one flag would wave over its walls.
“Xue Qianjun, what news has there been from the Imperial Court?”
“Milord, Su Hanshan, General Wang, and General Cui have already departed from Qixi with an army of sixty thousand and are marching at full speed toward Talas.”
Wang Chong nodded and continued, “Have the defenses for Qixi and the City of Steel been taken care of?”
Xue Qianjun bowed and replied, “Milord, the prefectural armies of Longxi, the Guannei Circuit, and the Hedong Circuit have already garrisoned those two areas. Although they’re not enough for an offensive, they should be fine for just defense.”
“Very good!”
Wang Chong gave a slight nod, no flicker of emotion in his eyes.
“The reinforcements from all sides have arrived. This battle is unavoidable. The only thing standing between us and our reinforcements is one Dalun Ruozan and one Duwu Sili!”
As Wang Chong spoke, he took two small flags and thrust them down onto the model where the Tibetan and Western Turkic camps were located.
“Wang Chong, Dalun Ruozan isn’t easy to deal with. He probably already knows about the reinforcements from Qixi. What should we do? Should we go out to receive them?”
Cheng Qianli did not dare to take Dalun Ruozan lightly. In this period of more than a month, the Great Tang had wanted to raid the Tibetans and Turks several times, but Dalun Ruozan and Duwu Sili had managed to foresee these attempts every time and prepare for them. Right now, both armies were impregnable to the Tang army. Any movement the Tang tried would be discovered in advance.
Even though Gao Xianzhi and Cheng Qianli had sent scouts to clear out the spies in the city, no matter how many they killed, more would seem to appear. In the end, they could put an end to this idea.
Until they had the absolute advantage, it was not appropriate for them to battle with the Tibetans and the Western Turks.
“There’s no need!”
To their surprise, Wang Chong very leisurely waved his hand in denial.
“Dalun Ruozan won’t be fighting with us. The moment he detects any sign of movement from us, he’ll immediately withdraw. But if Dalun Ruozan is really intending to try something, he’s probably picked the wrong target this time.
“Xue Qianjun, immediately inform Su Hanshan. Tell him that Dalun Ruozan is coming and that it’s time for him to show his abilities,” Wang Chong sternly said.
The people in the hall exchanged glances, and even Gao Xianzhi couldn’t help but frown.
‘Su Hanshan’? They had never heard this name before, but they could see from Wang Chong’s expression that he trusted this person a great deal.
“Wang Chong, this is…” Gao Xianzhi questioningly said.
“A person who will make Dalun Ruozan suffer a great loss.”
Wang Chong faintly smiled.
……
As time passed, Talas became increasingly vigilant. The training of the Mo Saber Unit and the Wushang Cavalry also intensified.
Clangclangclang!
Sparks flew through the city as thick smoke billowed into the air. One Mo Saber after another was pulled from the furnaces and placed in the hands of the Mo Saber Unit, as were suits of Meteoric Metal armor.
Several days later, there was a chorus of hammering as the final Mo Saber was finished. Once the flames and smoke had dispersed and it was formally pulled from the forge, the Mo Saber Unit was fully equipped.
A palm reached over and grabbed the Mo Saber. After carefully examining the Mo Saber, Cheng Qianli gave the nod of approval.
“Good enough. Send this equipment to the second training ground.”
“Yes!”
The Anxi Protectorate army officer next to him immediately ordered the soldiers standing at the ready to transport the weapons and equipment to the second training ground.
“All of you, focus!”
“All scouts need to remain on high alert! If the Arabs do anything, I want all of you to immediately report it!”
“Eagle team, I need the entire sky watched. If the Arab soldiers manage to approach in the darkness, I’ll be asking you for an explanation!”
The first defense line was saturated with tension as the shieldmen, cavalry, and axemen took their stations. The Arabs were on the verge of arrival and no one dared to show the slightest sign of neglect.
……
While Talas was preparing its defenses, several hundred kilometers away, the Turko-Tibetan army had a brief but intense battle with the Tang reinforcements. The battle did not rise to the level of a decisive one, but it left quite a few corpses on the battlefield.
“Great Minister! What do we do now?”
In the churning dust and howling winds, Huoba Sangye stood next to Dalun Ruozan and gave a complicated glance behind him.
Losing to Wang Chong and Gao Xianzhi was one thing, but now, even this nameless Tang brat had given them a savage blow.
All was quiet as Dalun Ruozan glanced behind him at the countless wounded soldiers, his heart sinking.
“I was careless. I didn’t think that this wave of reinforcements would be this strong. Now is not the time to wrangle with them. Pass on my order. We’ll retreat according to the original plan. We must join with the Arabs as quickly as possible. In addition, tell Abu Muslim that the Tang reinforcements are not to be underestimated. He must be cautious!” Dalun Ruozan sternly said.
“Yes! Great Minister!”
A messenger immediately left.
“Great Minister, do you need me to take care of that boy?” Huoshu Huicang suddenly said. “If it’s necessary, there’s still time!”
“If we don’t take care of him now, I now worry that the Great Tang will have yet another person like Wang Chong.”
Dalun Ruozan had been commanding the troops for the entire battle. The number of soldiers that had been killed in hand-to-hand combat was actually rather small. The Tibetans had suffered most of their casualties from the five thousand ballistae hidden in the rear.
“Great Minister, I share the same view as Huoshu. If needed, I can also go!” Dusong Mangpoje said.
Dalun Ruozan was publicly acknowledged as one of Ü-Tsang’s finest strategists, only surpassed by Dalon Trinling. For a twenty-some youth of no reputation to be able to outwit Dalun Ruozan could partially be attributed to underestimating him, but even so, all of them still felt him to be a major threat.
Dalun Ruozan hesitated a moment before shaking his head.
“There’s no need!
“These Great Tang reinforcements aren’t as simple as all of you think. As for that boy, he definitely has some reserves. We won’t have much advantage if we fight with him now. Put him aside for now. Once we join the Arabs at Talas, we can exterminate him along with the rest! None of them will be able to escape! In addition, our goal has been reached. Those pits and trenches should delay them for one or two days.”
Dusong Mangpoje and Huoshu Huicang hesitated for a moment before nodding in agreement.
Gallop! Dalun Ruozan quickly led the Tibetan army away, with the Western Turkic army following closely behind them.
……
The tension continued to increase as the Arabs moved closer and closer to Talas. Meanwhile, in a sparse forest some several dozen li to the west of Talas, a scout of the Anxi Protectorate army had hidden himself next to a gnarled tree, disguised beneath leaves and dried grass.
“Iron Head, do you see anything yet?” the disguised scout said.
It was only after some time that a voice finally came from overhead.
“Nothing! Six groups have already gone, but the Arabs won’t get here that quickly. All we need to do is wait for any news, and once we do, we immediately relay it to the rear as quickly as possible.”
It appeared like the hidden scout was the only person present, but upon looking carefully, one would discover that there was another Tang scout curled up around a branch. From this spot, he was constantly observing his surroundings, particularly the skies.
Up in the skies, the scout was looking at a rock eagle that was slowly circling in the air.
Birds could see far more than humans. These rock eagles in the air would use various flight patterns to communicate different kinds of information to the scouts below, though at this time, they were saying that everything was normal.
Creee!
A rock eagle in the distance suddenly shrieked, and before the two scouts could react, it plummeted to the ground. After some time, they heard its heavy thump.
“This…”
The two scouts glanced at each other in shock. The events had transpired too quickly for the two of them to see what had happened…