This process of fighting and stopping had already taken place numerous times.
They should have been able to kill even more Arab cavalry, but they had been forced to let them go at the end.
“There’s no need. Let them go!”
Zhang Que waved his hand and immediately rejected the request.
“His Highness has already defeated Khatabah’s army of two million, six hundred thousand soldiers. All that’s left is a stray dog in Abu Muslim and his three hundred thousand Arab horsemen on their last breath. They can’t cause much trouble.
“His Highness has ordered that there is to be no risky advance for the sake of achievements. Our first priority is to minimize our losses while killing as many of the enemy as we can. At the end, when His Highness personally takes action, it doesn’t matter how many soldiers the enemy has. They still will not be able to escape.”
After a few moments of silence, the mounted general bowed and sternly nodded.
“Yes! This officer will obey!”
The King of Foreign Lands would never make a mistake with his orders. Moreover, just as the King of Foreign Lands had said, the main army had been defeated, and the remaining several hundred thousand soldiers would not be able to cause much of a stir.
The army rested and reconsolidated as it waited for new orders. A few moments later, the earth rumbled as a wave of dust rose up from the horizon.
A banner depicting nine dragons stood out in this wave of dust. In front of this nine dragon banner was a handsome youth surrounded by a storm of energy.
“Paying respects to the Nine Provinces Protector-General!”
Upon seeing Wang Chong, the tens of thousands of Tang soldiers dismounted and reverentially bowed.
Although Wang Chong was the King of Foreign Lands, on the battlefield, he was the supreme Nine Provinces Protector-General, his status above that of all other Great Generals.
“How is it?”a young voice thunderously said from the distance.
In the blink of an eye and a sharp neigh, Wang Chong rode up to Zhang Que’s group on the White-hoofed Shadow.
Wang Chong had been through countless hellish battlegrounds, from the southwest all the way to this war of annihilation in the northwest, so despite bearing a youthful appearance, he exuded a firm and battle-hardened aura.
His every movement naturally exuded the demeanor of a supreme commander who led a grand army.
This solemn aura was something that not even Wang Zhongsi, the previous War God, could compare to.
After defeating Khatabah and the High Priest, Wang Chong was almost unconsciously regarded as the leader by all of the others, even illustrious Protector-Generals like Zhangchou Jianqiong, Gao Xianzhi, and An Sishun.
“Your Highness, just as you predicted, Abu Muslim has successfully fled to Khorasan. In addition, we’ve learned that once the Arabian Empire learned of Khatabah’s defeat, it began to gather many militia. They’ve already gathered a significant force and are preparing for a battle to the death!” Zhang Que reported on one knee, a look of slight concern on his face.
The superior strategy was to break the enemy’s schemes, while the inferior one was to break their soldiers. To this end, Zhang Que had planted spies in all the other countries, with significant numbers in even Arabia.
Though the Tang forces had yet to reach Khorasan, Zhang Que knew the movements within Arabia like the back of his hand.
The Arabian Empire’s militia were fierce and doughty. Everyone except the women and children was a soldier, and this was exactly why the Arabian Empire was able to reach its current status as the strongest empire in the west.
Although they were militia, they were still extremely formidable, and their rigorous training meant that they were only slightly weaker than regular Tang soldiers.
“Heh, militia, hm?”
Wang Chong sneered, his expression unperturbed.
The Arab militia had led Arabia to maintain a reputation as the ‘unconquerable country’, but that was only for other countries. In Wang Chong’s view, the most trained militia army was still just a motley crew that couldn’t withstand even a single blow.
“There’s no need to worry about them, so just let them be. What of that other matter I had you take care of?”
“Your Highness, everything is ready and waiting for your orders!”
Zhang Que bowed.
“Very good! Advance! It is now time for us to uproot our eternal foe of Arabia!”
Wang Chong looked toward the distance horizon, where the silhouette of a city loomed.
Khorasan!
In just another few dozen li, Wang Chong would finally be able to return to Khorasan.
After that would be the territory of the Arabian Empire. Twice in a row now, the Great Tang Empire had faced an unprecedented threat from this empire. If they did not completely vanquish this empire of the west, the Great Tang would never be free of its threats, and wars like this would continue to repeat themselves.
It was for this reason that Wang Chong had marched his army far from the homeland to pursue the defeated Arab army, breaking the military precept to not pursue a broken enemy.
“If we can really conquer this vast empire, it would be an unprecedented achievement, a dazzling mark on the annals of history!”
Gao Xianzhi rode up from the rear and looked in the same direction as Wang Chong.
Even though Gao Xianzhi had presided over the Western Regions as Anxi’s War God for many years, he had never once dared to think about conquering Arabia.
The Arabian Empire was far too powerful and possessed vast armies of cavalry. Even if Gao Xianzhi had deployed all his soldiers and brought all the kingdoms of the Western Regions with him, he would still have never been able to compete.
But now that Khatabah and the Arabian Empire’s army had been defeated, it was suddenly possible.
Wang Zhongsi also spoke up. “We have to eliminate Arabia no matter what. This is the only way to settle things once and for all. If we do this, we can bring peace to the Great Tang for decades, even a hundred years.”
It was a great taboo for the army to be so far from its native soil, and only Wang Chong could have realized it. Their army of six-hundred-thousand-some soldiers had defeated an army of two million, six hundred thousand cavalry. Who except Wang Chong was capable of this feat?
“Let’s go. Wang Chong, just point the way. None of us have any objections,” Zhangchou Jianqiong called out.
Wang Chong couldn’t help but laugh.
“Let’s go!”
The army slowly began to move, marching toward the distant Khorasan.
In Khorasan, the air was tense. Despite the alarming news, the empire had not given up. From the sky, one could see that soldiers were converging from all directions, summoned from Arabia’s various provinces. These were the Arab militia.
Chapter 1912 - Compensation!
Chapter 1912: Compensation!
Arabia was a militaristic country, so even though its people knew that its army had been defeated in the northwest, they showed no sign of surrendering. On the contrary, they were even more determined to have one final showdown with the Great Tang.
“Avenge the Hierophant!”
“Kill all the Tang!”
“I vow to die in battle for His Majesty!”
Countless Arab militia had gathered within the walls of Khorasan, waving around their scimitars and spears, their roars reaching the heavens.
Abu Muslim stood at a corner of the walls, but the sight of the gathering indignant militia made him no less concerned.
Arabia had lost more than half its army in the eastern expedition, and its top-level commanders had been almost wiped out. There were very few people left who could fight.
But the three hundred thousand soldiers he had gathered together with the militia who had been summoned from across the empire made for an army of seven to eight hundred thousand within the walls of Khorasan. This was somewhat comforting for Abu Muslim.
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Moreover, Khorasan was a true fortress, with thick and high walls. Abu Muslim had also dispatched his soldiers to reinforce the walls and to search for and fill up any secret passages they found. This fortress was enough for Arabia to hold against the Great Tang for some time.
They just needed to hold out against the Tang siege for ten days in the best case and half a month at the worst. After that, the Tang would naturally have to retreat.
In the midst of his thoughts, he heard the flapping of wings from overhead. A few moments later, the Arab noble who was presiding over Khorasan rushed up the wall with a letter in hand and respectfully offered it, his head lowered.
“Lord Governor, the Caliph has sent word that Arabia no longer has any soldiers to send. Lord Governor, you must hold out against the Great Tang no matter what. In the future, Milord will be granted many titles and become an eternal hero of Arabia.”
The nobles of Arabia had always been arrogant, and it was very hard to imagine one lowering their head to a warrior like Abu Muslim. But Abu Muslim found no joy in this.
He had once been brimming with ambition, anxious to lead his army to the east to open a new frontier. He had never imagined that he would end up being Arabia’s last Governor, guarding its doorstep.
The safety of the empire rested entirely on his shoulders. Arabia had once commanded all the other countries and been at peak power, but now it had collapsed into a state of crisis.
Abu Muslim’s heart was overcome with emotion.
He suddenly somewhat regretted leading his army toward the east.
Abu Muslim looked at the noble and asked, “What is the situation in the empire?”
The noble raised his head and sternly said, “Everything in the empire is fine. There is no need for Milord to worry. You may fully focus on dealing with the enemy.”
“At this stage, you’re still trying to hide things from me?”
Abu Muslim sighed.
“Milord, what need is there for me…”
The noble wanted to deny it, but in the face of Abu Muslim’s sharp and profound eyes, his resistance quickly broke down.
“Milord, the situation in the empire is truly poor. When the surrounding countries heard of the death of the Hierophant and the empire’s defeat, many of them became restless, and rebellions have already begun to stir in places we had previously conquered. The empire is overwhelmed, and not even His Majesty can deal with it!”
The noble dejectedly lowered his head.
Prosperity and decline were separated by a single thought. The beacons of war were lighting up throughout the land, and the empire was beset by problems internal and external.
And their root could be found in that one war. Abu Muslim could only sigh, unable to say anything else.
Even the man who had been hailed as one of the empire’s strongest Governors could do nothing about these dire straits.
Abu Muslim took in a deep breath and turned to a deputy next to him.
“What’s the situation on the front? Have you found out what the Tang are up to?”
“The situation is bad. Of the various armies that joined our invasion, at least four hundred thousand submitted to the Tang and have turned against us. They’ve joined the Tang army and are marching toward Khorasan.
“Based on the time that has passed, they’ll arrive at Khorasan at any moment,” the black-bearded deputy sternly replied.
Abu Muslim was so startled by this news that it took ages before he could speak again.
In the war between the Great Tang and Arabia, Arabia originally had the overwhelming advantage, but now, the combined forces of the Tang, Sassanids, and those traitorous kingdoms had boosted the opposing force to nearly one million soldiers. Abu Muslim was now the one who was outnumbered. Even if he took into account the militia in the city, they could barely be considered evenly matched.
Rumble!
In the midst of his dejection, the earth began to rumble.
Creee! A sharp shriek came from the distance, and only a few moments later, a vast cloud of birds appeared, spreading across the horizon. There were even some of Arabia’s giant birds in this flock.
The thundering of war horses came from down below, and in a great cloud of dust, an army of tens of thousands of soldiers surged toward Khorasan in a torrent of steel.
The sight of this grandiose army caused Abu Muslim’s eyes to widen and his face to tense.
Strength and weakness were reciprocal. After an intense war, not only had the Great Tang’s army not weakened, it had grown to an astonishing size.
Buzz!
At some point, the frenzied war cries with Khorasan had faded away. It was clear that all the soldiers within, including the militia, had noticed the development outside the walls.
The atmosphere in Khorasan tensed as everything fell silent.
“Milord! Look there!”
Abu Muslim’s deputy suddenly pointed at the army, his pupils constricting.
Abu Muslim turned and immediately spotted a familiar figure, wearing golden armor and possessing straight eyebrows and bright eyes. It was none other than the King of Foreign Lands, the Nine Provinces Protector-General, Wang Chong!
“Abu Muslim, are you still not surrendering?” a cold and aloof voice rumbled. Atop the White-hoofed Shadow, Wang Chong rode forward and immediately locked his eyes onto Abu Muslim.
“Bastard!”
The eyes of old foes would go red upon meeting, and the eyes of the Arab generals on the walls truly did go red. Wang Chong had spoken his words in Arabic.
He clearly intended to use his words to lower the morale of the army within the city.
And besides that, Wang Chong’s army had killed more than one million Arab cavalry, making him the greatest foe of Arabia for all time.
But Abu Muslim simply gestured and quickly calmed his men.
“Protector-General, you’ve already won. What reason is there to be so persistent? The Tang Empire and Arabia are far apart. In this incident, we were the ones who erred, and Arabia has paid the price for it. If the King of Foreign Lands is willing to withdraw, Arabia is willing to maintain amiable relations with the Great Tang for all time and additionally sign a permanent non-aggression pact!” Abu Muslim firmly said. As he spoke, he infused energy into his voice.
A moment later, his voice resounded across the entire army.
“Heh, don’t you think it’s a little too late to say such things?
“Why did you not say such things when the Arab army of two million, six hundred thousand soldiers threatened our cities? And besides, can the words of Arabia be trusted at all at this point?”
Wang Chong’s booming voice was oozing with derision.
In the last Battle of Khorasan, Wang Chong had killed more than one million soldiers in the middle of a blizzard. In the end, Mutasim III was forced to sign a peace treaty with Wang Chong, with both sides pledging to never attack each other again. But the Arabs had casually torn this treaty to shreds.
Arabia was a warrior country that found glory and honor in battle. Its words of peace were not to be trusted.
On the distant walls, Abu Muslim felt his heart grow heavy, even though he had already expected this reply.
“King of Foreign Lands, what need is there to press so hard?
“All the elites of Arabia have already died in the east, and Arabia is no longer what it was. It no longer poses any threat to the Great Tang. What need is there for the King of Foreign Lands to so doggedly pursue? Better for you to lead your army back to the east so that we can pay a large compensation as in the past for your losses.
“And the sum is certain to be to the Great Tang’s satisfaction!
“But if the King of Foreign Lands stubbornly persists, Arabia will have no other choice. As they say in the Central Plains, we can only burn the jade and stone together! Better the broken jade than the intact tile!” Abu Muslim sternly said, still making one last attempt.
The Tang loved gold and silver, and the Calip
h had said that as long as the Great Tang was willing, Arabia could offer compensation of two billion taels of gold, much greater than the previous sum paid. He was confident this could satisfy the Great Tang.
“Hahaha, you want me to lead my armies back to the east so that Arabia can recover and come back again? Abu Muslim, don’t waste your time!”
Wang Chong shook his head and sneered.
With this said, he waved his arm and ordered the assault to begin.
“All soldiers, advance!”
Rumble! The Tang soldiers, Sassanid soldiers, and the traitor soldiers began to march toward Khorasan, giving Abu Muslim no further chance to argue his case.
“。”
“Haaaa…”
Abu Muslim gave a long sigh, knowing that this battle was unavoidable. But his eyes quickly hardened with resolve.
“Pass on my order! Prepare for battle!”
He was no coward. If the Great Tang persisted in its attack, he would think of every way to ensure that it was defeated.
Bang!
But just when Abu Muslim had resolved himself to fight to the death, a heaven-shaking clamor came from far behind him.
Chapter 1913 - Army at the Doorstep of the Arabian Capital!
Chapter 1913: Army at the Doorstep of the Arabian Capital!
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
“Reporting!”A panicked horseman rode toward the walls, leaving a trail of dust behind him.“Milord, it’s terrible! The three western gates are all under attack! Khorasani and people from neighboring countries disguised themselves as militia to sneak in! More than one hundred thousand men are involved in the assault!”“What?!”Abu Muslim shuddered as if he had been struck by a lightning bolt.Khorasani?People from neighboring countries?Could it be that when the empire was gathering its militia, the Khorasani, the rebels, and the armies of the vassal kingdoms had already joined together and made a plan, waiting for the Tang army to arrive to launch their assault?!“These bastards! Do they really think that a hundred-thousand-some people can shake us? What about our three-hundred-thousand-some elite cavalry and several hundred thousand militia? Since they dare to betray the empire, we’ll kill them first!”Next to Abu Muslim, the eyes of the Arab noble governing Khorasan went red with killing intent as he roared.Even if Arabia had been defeated, was it the turn of these clowns to play tricks?!“Milord, let me take some men to wipe them out!”The generals around Abu Muslim were all enraged.But as Abu Muslim was pondering what to do…Bang!The earth shuddered, and a thunderous clang came from the gate. Abu Muslim’s heart tightened, and everyone turned to see that a massive metal bolt had slammed into Khorasan’s massive gate.Khorasan’s gates were forged from the finest Deep Sea Xuan Metal and had been reinforced with countless formations and inscriptions of various sizes. These were gates that were made to create a most formidable fortress.Moreover, after retaking Khorasan, in order to prevent the Tang from taking the city, the Arabs had further reinforced the gate. In normal circumstances, it should have been impossible to breach Khorasan’s eastern gate.But everyone could see that the terrifying strength of the bolt had caused the massive metal gate to cave inward, and the thick bolt had even penetrated through the metal to protrude from the other side.An Arab general glanced at the wavy patterns on the ballista bolt and immediately understood what was going on.“It’s a giant ballista bolt forged from Wootz Steel!”In the war of the northwest, they had all witnessed the power of the giant ballista bolts against the Behemoths, but as terrifying as they were, they had not had those wavy patterns, patterns that were naturally created by Wootz Steel.While Deep Sea Xuan Metal was tough, it could not stand against a giant ballista bolt made of Wootz Steel, no matter how many formations and inscriptions it was reinforced with.Buzz!Abu Muslim and the other generals immediately looked in the direction the bolt had come from.They saw a giant ballista escorted by countless Tang soldiers, pointed straight at the city gate.Nearby, numerous soldiers and craftsmen were busy putting together an assortment of parts into a second giant ballista.Abu Muslim and his men felt their hearts sink to rock bottom.The Tang had taken apart those terrifying giant ballistae and transported them here!“He had these special ballista bolts ready for some time! From the moment this war started, he had predicted this day and was amply prepared for it!”As he stared at that youth on that divine steed with white hooves, Abu Muslim suddenly realized something, but enlightenment only made his heart heavier.For what reason did they have to be born in the same era? Abu Muslim’s heart was filled with an indescribable mix of complicated emotions.“Release!” Wang Chong called out, and another Wootz Steel giant ballista bolt thundered into the gate of Khorasan. Kaboom! The gate caved farther inward as yet another hole was punched through it.Every Wootz Steel weapon cost as much as a city, and forging these giant ballista bolts took great quantities of Wootz Steel. Each one cost as much as forty million taels of gold, and Wang Chong had only forged four.These Wootz Steel bolts were not very useful against Behemoths. After all, there were only four, so they could only kill four Behemoths, while the Behemoth Army had many more than that.But they were perfect for attacking the mighty city gates of the Arabian Empire.And more importantly, Wang Chong had prepared more than just Wootz Steel giant ballista bolts.Roooar!With a mighty roar, a mountainous being crashed down from the sky. The King Ape raised its two hairy arms and pounded its chest.All of Khorasan was shocked by the King Ape’s roar, and all the Arab generals on the walls paled.These Behemoths had originally been used by the Arabian Empire against the Great Tang, and once the Tang army was defeated, they could be used to attack the enemy cities. But to their surprise, now that Arabia was defeated, the Tang were using the Behemoths to attack Arabian cities.Roooar!A few moments later, the King Ape punched at Khorasan’s gate. Having already taken four Wootz Steel bolts, the gate was blown off its hinges by the King Ape’s destructive punch, the earth rumbling as those gates which had protected Khorasan for nearly one hundred years thudded to the ground.Khorasan became deathly still, all the Arabs almost forgetting to breathe.“Kiiill!”With a thunderous roar, the tens of thousands of Tang cavalry charged through the fallen gates, flooding into Khorasan.In short order, the three mighty gates of Khorasan all fell, and countless soldiers charged in.“For Arabia!”“Arabia will never surrender!”“Exterminate the infidels! Kill!”The gates had fallen and there were enemies on both sides, but unlike Abu Muslim and his three hundred thousand soldiers, the Arab militia had not experienced the terrifying power of the Tang and were only stimulated into a fighting frenzy, howling as they waved their scimitars and charged at the Tang coalition army.This was a militaristic country in which every person was a soldier.But no matter how fearless they were, and no matter how unwilling Abu Muslim and the other Arabs were, they were nothing in front of the overwhelming power of the Tang forces, just an egg trying to strike a stone.Their fate had been decided from the very start.“Release!”Su Hanshan waved his arm, and his ballista army advanced while releasing wave after wave of ballista bolts.Before the Arab militia could even get close, vast swaths of them were cut down.“Kill!”The Tang army advanced and soon met with the Arabs, shield soldiers in front and spear men behind, the Wushang Cavalry and Tongluo Cavalry charging out from the flanks and crashing through the Arab ranks.One hour later, the Arab army had been completely crushed, their bodies piled up across the city.Abu Muslim had managed to escape with a small group of Arab cavalry through the western gate, fleeing across the Euphrates. The rest of the Arab cavalry and militia had either surrendered or been killed. The city had once more fallen into Wang Chong’s hands.As the Nine Dragon Blood War Banner was raised over Khorasan, Wang Chong’s name once more shook the western world and the entire continent. The Arabian Empire became frantic and fearful.Meanwhile, all the Khorasani were crying with joy. After countless days and nights of suffering, they had defeated the Arabs and once more taken possession of Khorasan.Arabia had lost several hundred thousand soldiers in the Battle of Khorasan,
the bodies of tens of thousands of militia piled up around the city. It had lost any ability to contend against the Great Tang.Wang Chong struck while the iron was hot, leading his army across the Euphrates and advancing toward Baghdad. On the road, they encountered numerous militia crying out to avenge the Hierophant and High Priest, but all of them were crushed under the hooves of the Great Tang Empire.With Bahram acting as an intermediary, the Tang army swelled in size, building up like a rolling snowball as more and more rebel armies joined.It marched forward with unstoppable momentum, taking every city in its path.Seven days later, after taking numerous cities, the army finally reached the Arabian capital!“This is Baghdad?”The clouds hung low over the sky. Wang Chong, wearing golden armor and at the head of a coalition army of more than one million soldiers, stared at the lofty city of Baghdad.He had heard of this ‘sleepless city’ in his last life, the capital of the strongest empire in the west, but this was the first time he had seen it with his own eyes.Baghdad was a gorgeous and resplendent city built in a style completely different from those of the Central Plains. Circular towers soared into the clouds, serving as a truly stunning sight.Chang’an was renowned throughout the realm for its prosperity, its walls holding nearly one million inhabitants. This was a feat that none of the surrounding countries could reach. If there was one city in the world that could compare with the capital of the Tang Empire, it could only be the sleepless city of Baghdad.
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