This was followed by a second, a third, a fourth… Nearly twenty thousand cavalry charged out of the blizzard, sweeping through the Arabs. “Aaaah!” Blood spurted out as one Arab horseman after another was slain, their faces stricken with fear as they fell.
“After them!”
The coalition elites galloped across the earth to continue the pursuit, leaving only a ground covered with corpses behind them.
Wang Chong’s men were a whirlwind of death as they pursued the Arab soldiers westward. And only by pursuing the Arabs could they see for themselves just how much disarray their forces were in.
Countless Arabs who had lost track of the main group could be seen on this route of several dozen li. Many of them had frozen to death and even more were trapped in the snow, innumerable warhorses having frozen to death too.
When Wang Chong led his nearly twenty thousand men in pursuit from the rear, all these Arabs were stunned. Even in death, they did not dare believe that Wang Chong would dare to risk such frigid weather to pursue the Arabs through the snow and wind.
Boomboomboom!
In a short time, sixty to seventy thousand Arabs in the span of some twenty li had been slain by Wang Chong’s men, and this number was continuing to climb at an astonishing rate. These sixty to seventy thousand Arabs were scattered across these twenty-some li and simply had no ability to resist.
The twenty thousand men under Wang Chong’s command were simply unstoppable.
The Tang needed only a few seconds to dispatch the fleeing and scattered Arabs.
“Lord Marquis!”
In the middle of the pursuit, a voice came out of the blizzard and two dim lights rapidly began to approach Wang Chong. It was not Li Siye, however, but Anxi Vice Protector-General Cheng Qianli. The Stellar Energy around his body surged with heat and his eyes exuded powerful fighting intent.
Cheng Qianli stopped a few paces in front of Wang Chong and sternly said, “We’ve discovered the main force of Arabs, at least one hundred thousand Arabs. Milord has sent me to ask if we should pursue?”
The Arabs had an army of six to seven hundred thousand. In this pursuit, the coalition had mostly been killing scattered and lost soldiers, but now, they had finally found the main group.
“Haha, isn’t that exactly what we were looking for? Tell Lord Gao to immediately attack!”
With these words, Wang Chong immediately charged off, vanishing into the blizzard.
……
“Careful!”
“Everyone, assume formation!”
“The Great Tang are pursuing us! Everyone, get ready!”
Not far from Wang Chong’s forces, an army was creeping forward. Several dozen Arab generals had gathered together, a vast army of cavalry behind them. The Tang had already shown themselves, throwing all the Arabs into a panic. No one had expected that the Tang would disregard the wind and snow to chase after them.
But the long years of training had enabled the army to swiftly react. On this long road, a hundred-thousand-some Arab soldiers had taken formation and were silently awaiting their enemy in the blizzard.
Clang! There was a deafening metallic clattering as a vast and invisible ripple of energy swept out of the blizzard. At that moment, countless soldiers in the front ranks felt their energies plunge to exceedingly weak levels.
“Enemy!” the leading Arab commander immediately blurted out in alarm. He recognized this halo as belonging to the young Tang commander!
Boom!
In a stampede of hooves, countless horsemen flew out of the blizzard.
Each of these horsemen was like a moving fortress, rapidly charging into the ranks of the one hundred thousand Arab soldiers.
“Not good! It’s the Aswaran Cataphracts!”
The leading Arab commander paled in shock at the sight of these muscular cavalry equipped with extremely heavy armor.
“Kill them!”
The Sassanid Great General Bahram was leading the charge, plunging like a storm into the Arab ranks. Bangbangbang! Bahram was like a sharp blade, thrusting into the Arab soldiers and knocking hundreds of them flying into the air, leaving their bones and organs shattered while they were still in midair.
Neeeigh! Eight-thousand-some Aswaran Cataphracts followed behind him, dividing into eighty groups that stabbed into the tight ranks of the Arab army like so many swords. “Aaaah!” In a chorus of screams, the orderly and disciplined Arab ranks immediately fell into chaos.
“Kiiill!”
As the Aswaran Cataphracts swept through, the Arab army resounded with cries of alarm, the whinnying of horses, and the shattering of bone. Meanwhile, the Aswaran Cataphracts did not stop, continuing westward.
Behind them, more and more soldiers came charging out of the blizzard: the Wushang Cavalry, Tongluo Cavalry, Dragon Stallion Army, and the other rebel soldiers. In just a few rounds, all the Arabs had been toppled over. The two sides simply weren’t on the same level of strength, and even though these soldiers did their best, they were incapable of averting defeat.
Chapter 1183 - Arabia's Predicament!
Chapter 1183: Arabia’s Predicament!
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
Impossible! Simply impossible! How could there be this many Tang?!
The leading Arab general’s eyes were round and he was so shocked that he couldn’t speak. He had never imagined that so many Tang would emerge from Khorasan to chase them down, and their strength hadn’t been weakened at all.
It’s over! There’s no one amongst the Arabs that can stop them!
The Arab general’s heart sank. The army was weak and exhausted from struggling through the snow for so long. But these traitors from Khorasan had barely been affected.
The Arab general’s heart was dripping blood, as he knew that all of them here were finished. But he also knew that these Tang and Khorasani would not stop here. “Hurry! Inform Great General Fadi! Tell him that the Tang are coming!”
Before he could finish his words, a sharp sword exploded forth in a flash of golden light, stabbing through the wind and into his beating heart.
So, so fast!
The Arab general fell to the ground with a thump. The last thing he saw was a warhorse with hooves as white as snow and a Tang youth riding upon it, his cape flapping in the wind.
Clipclop!
Wang Chong pulled out his sword, his face showing not a sliver of emotion.
“Hear my order! Continue the pursuit!”
Wang Chong led his army across ten-some li, defeating one batch of retreating Arab soldiers after another. In just a few short moments, Wang Chong’s men had slain more than one hundred thousand soldiers!
And all this was with a rather pitifully outnumbered force.
……
“Ahead should be the Three Titans of Black Radiance and Hular!”
At some point, Wang Chong had led his army forty li away from Khorasan. His expression was cold and his eyes were bright, not even the darkness or the blizzard able to obscure them.
“Tell Gao Xianzhi and Great General Bahram to gather all the soldiers and prepare for battle!” Wang Chong harshly commanded.
Wang Chong had not come alone on this pursuit. Gao Xianzhi, Cheng Qianli, Bahram, the Gangke King, Banahan, and the other rebel leaders… almost all the commanders in Khorasan had been mobilized.
Tonight was an extremely rare chance to defeat Arabia, and nobody wanted to miss out on it.
Creee!
Wang Chong had barely spoken when one whistle after another came from around him. This was the signal that all of them had arranged beforehand. This time, all the commanders were in charge of their respective armies, but they all had to obey Wang Chong’s orders. This was the prerequisite to take part in this campaign.
“Hyah!”
With a shout, the nearly twenty thousand elites charged forward with an unstoppable momentum into the rear of a fleeing group of Arabs. Just a few moments later, the battle was over
. The ground was covered in bodies, and the surviving soldiers had scattered in every direction, unable to tell which way they were going.
“Three Titans of Black Radiance! You’re the only ones left!”
Wang Chong’s eyes flashed with cold light as he charged forward. Meanwhile, the temperature continued to plunge!
……
“What! The Tang, Khorasani, and rebel soldiers are taking advantage of this blizzard to pursue us!”
Fifty to sixty li from Khorasan, three monstrous pitch-black warhorses stood in a row. On their backs were the Three Titans of Black Radiance.
“Milords, we have already confirmed this information. They have been pursuing us this entire time and have already killed more than one hundred thousand men. Moreover, this number is only continuing to increase!”
The deputy that had delivered the message bowed in front of the three, his expression nervous.
“Damn it! These lowly Tang!”
Fadi clenched his fist in fury as the snowy winds blew around him.
“Pass on my order! Gather the army and prepare to deal with the Tang!”
“Yes!”
The deputy swiftly left to deliver the order.
……
“General, the scouts have sent word that they’ve discovered the Three Titans of Black Radiance, who have begun to gather their army to deal with us.”
Bahram, Gao Xianzhi, Cheng Qianli, the rebel commanders, as well as the Wushang Village Chief, the Demonic Emperor Old Man, and Wang Yan had gathered around Wang Chong, all of them watching him, clearly at his beck and call. They had pursued the Arabs for dozens of li, killing countless, and now they had finally caught up to the Three Titans of Black Radiance and Hular.
Wang Chong’s judgment had been correct. In such frigid weather, the Arabs were not able to advance very quickly. Although only a hundred-some li separated Khorasan and Shandar, to the Arabs, this was an endlessly long distance.
“The blizzard is very taxing on ordinary soldiers, but the effect is much weaker with elite soldiers. Moreover, even though we’ve killed many soldiers, the Arabs still have an army of around five hundred thousand. With the numbers we have, it will be very difficult to win!” Bahram sternly said, a hint of hesitation on his face.
The Three Titans of Black Radiance were not ordinary individuals. Although the blizzard was a major problem for them, it alone was far from enough to defeat them. The amount of strength it took for an Imperial Great General to counteract the effects of a blizzard was almost insignificant.
Everyone else remained silent, looking toward Wang Chong. The nearly twenty thousand elites also stood in disciplined ranks, awaiting Wang Chong’s order.
“Heh!”
The sight of all these grave expressions suddenly caused Wang Chong to laugh. His expression was nonchalant, not at all like he was about to face some formidable foe.
“The Three Titans of Black Radiance are formidable, but not to some invincible level. Moreover, the Arabs might have more than five hundred thousand soldiers, but given the blizzard and the darkness, many of them have probably gotten lost. It would be incredible if the Three Titans of Black Radiance still had three hundred thousand soldiers at their command. Moreover, these three hundred thousand soldiers would be scattered across ten-some li, and it’s nearly impossible to gather them all together, even for the Three Titans of Black Radiance. This isn’t merely because of their ability as commanders. At times, one also has to think about the ability of the soldiers.
“In addition, the Arab morale is at an all-time low, and this blizzard has already vanquished them. The longer they stay in the blizzard, the greater their losses will be. All the Arab soldiers are only thinking about escaping to the city, and none of them are in the mood for battle. No matter how cruel are the methods the Three Titans use to keep order, they still won’t be able to change this.”
Wang Chong’s eyes were wise and assured, and it seemed like nothing in the world could ever cause him any difficulty. It was these qualities that had earned him the admiration of those around him.
“Thus, I estimate that the Three Titans of Black Radiance won’t be able to gather many soldiers, not more than one hundred thousand,” Wang Chong lightly said.
In front of nature, the strength of Man was insignificant, and this was no ordinary blizzard. When every soldier was only thinking about escaping, even the Three Titans of Black Radiance were powerless. Gathering one hundred thousand soldiers was already extremely impressive.
Whew!
Although no one said anything, everyone appeared greatly relieved. One hundred thousand was still a lot, but it was tolerable. Moreover, although the Great Tang side had only twenty thousand soldiers, all of them were elites like the Aswaran Cataphracts and Wushang Cavalry. Their twenty thousand men still had a high chance of victory.
“Chong-er, what should we do now?” Wang Chong’s father, Wang Yan, suddenly said.
This battle was extremely important, and even though Wang Yan had lost his Mighty Miracle God avatar, he still possessed impressive strength. The Great Tang had deployed all its elites for this battle.
“Wait!” Wang Chong confidently declared.
……
In the middle of the blizzard, the Three Titans of Black Radiance stood at the front, Hular at their side, the other governors and generals to their left and right, and a vast army behind them. All of them were somberly waiting, and yet an hour had passed with nothing happening.
“What’s going on? Why haven’t the Tang come yet?”
An Arab governor was the first to break the silence, and at his words, even Fadi couldn’t help but frown. Hular’s eyes twitched as he suddenly had a bad feeling.
“There’s something wrong here. Based on the report from our scouts and the speed with which the Tang came and attacked, there should be no reason for them to have not appeared by now, unless…”
A thought suddenly occurred to him, and although Hular said nothing more, his face suddenly paled.
“Unless they’re intentionally delaying!” Firas darkly said, finishing Hular’s sentence. All was quiet around them as the Arab commanders all grimaced.
These Tang of the eastern world were using a scheme. As long as they didn’t leave, the Three Titans and Hular would not be able to reach Shandar without exposing their backs to the Tang. Moreover, the blizzard was only intensifying and the temperature was continuing to drop. The longer their army remained in a stalemate out here, the more unfavorable their situation would become.
It was clear that the Tang were delaying them and forcing them to remain in place.
“Damn it!”
“This bastard!”
The Arab governors ground their teeth and clenched their fists. If this continued, they would always be in the passive position!
“No! We can’t continue to be passive! If they won’t come, then we’ll go to meet them! Hular, pass on my order! Mobilize the army for an assault!”
Fadi’s eyes flashed with cold light as he made his decision.
It was far better to attack than to passively wait around. Moreover, the blizzard was worsening, so this was the only method that could allow the Arabs to escape their current predicament.
Chapter 1184 - Stratagems in the Snow (I)
Chapter 1184: Stratagems in the Snow (I)
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
“Ready!”
The moment the Arabs began to mobilize, in the distance, Wang Chong suddenly smiled.
“The Arabs have divided into three groups and have begun to attack. Lord Gao, Great General Bahram, let’s prepare to move out as well!”
Bang!
The twenty thousand soldiers immediately moved out, vanishing like ghosts into the blizzard. This time, however, Wang Chong’s men did not vanish in the direction of the army gathered by the Three Titans of Black Radiance, but to the northwest. As the thundering of their hooves faded into the wind, a somber air began
to rise.
Rumble! Not much later, three pitch-black warhorses charged out of the blizzard, followed by a stampede of tens of thousands more, appearing at the place where Wang Chong’s forces had been.
“What’s going on? Where are the Tang?”
The Three Titans of Black Radiance were stunned by the empty whiteness before them.
A bearded Arab governor ground his teeth and angrily said, “These damn bastards! They escaped!”
It was obvious that the Tang knew that they were coming and fled like rats. They simply didn’t dare to engage in a direct confrontation with the Arabs.
Clang!
At this moment, the clanging of metal and other sounds of fighting could be faintly heard through the storm. From the sound, the fight was rather far away, and it immediately attracted everyone’s attention.
Fadi suddenly realized what it was and immediately yelled, “Not good! It’s from the soldiers on the left flank! Let’s go!”
Without a second thought, he turned his horse around and charged toward the left flank. Everyone else began to rush after him in a panic; even Hular was greatly perturbed.
For this attack, the army had been divided into three groups: left, right, and center. The left and right groups had set off first so they could circle around, leaving the center group to depart last. The strategy for the Arabs was extremely simple. The center group would be used to draw in the Great Tang, and while the Tang were locked in combat, the left and right groups would wrap around and deal the lethal blow.
At this moment, Hular came to the frightening realization that there was no sign of the left or right groups. And the sounds of fighting from just now had come from behind them.
I hope that the right flank is fine! Hular worriedly thought, an extreme unease emerging in his mind.
……
Rumble! A few moments later, the Three Titans and Hular finally found the left flank army, several li away. The snow here was trampled and covered in the marks of battle, something that not even the blizzard could cover up in such a short time. The left flank no longer existed, and the ground was now covered in Arab corpses. There were some warhorses lying on the ground, still gasping for breath, expelling white clouds of steam, but they were quickly frozen to ice and rendered motionless.
The Human Emperor c1-2382 Page 746
