荔枝影院

Edited by: Michyrr

“Great Minister, what do we do now? Must we really serve as the vanguard for the Arabs tomorrow?” said Huoshu Huicang, stepping forward.

“I feel that the greater priority is to determine if this was Abu Muslim’s order, or if it was Qutaybah’s or Osman’s. We were only allies with Abu Muslim. If this order came from the mouth of one of those other conceited Arab governors, perhaps we don’t need to treat it seriously,” Dusong Mangpoje commented, his expression serious and his eyes thoughtful.

“Now is not the time to wonder which governor gave the order. No matter which one it was, it has already obtained Abu Muslim’s approval. The Arabs have taken too many losses, so they hope that by sending us onto the field, they can reduce their casualties. There isn’t anything strange about that. For the sake of our alliance and to defeat our common enemy, we probably won’t be able to avoid stepping onto the field this time!”

Dalun Ruozan sighed.

The current state of this battle was far away from what Dalun Ruozan had originally predicted. Dalun Ruozan was far more worried about the Great Tang than the dissatisfaction of the Arabs.

“Hahaha, Dalun Ruozan, I didn’t think you would be put into difficulties by such a minor matter.” Laughing, Duwu Sili strode forward, his eyes bursting with sharp light. “The Arabs are arrogant and conceited and look down on us; let’s go onto the field and show them our strength! It’s not just the Great Tang and Arabia that can be considered the strong empires of the world!”

Unlike the others, Duwu Sili appeared to not care very much about the Arab order. On the contrary, he seemed to be anticipating this conflict.

“Soldiers are trained for a thousand days to be used in a single moment. Since Great Minister finds it difficult, let the Western Turks take the vanguard tomorrow!” Duwu Sili confidently declared.

The tent was absolutely quiet as everyone stared at Duwu Sili in shock. Dalun Ruozan stared thoughtfully at Duwu Sili and then seemed to understand.

......

A night quickly passed, and a new day arrived, one of blustering winds and chilly temperatures. Outside Talas, the ground was covered in a layer of white frost, as were the two steel defense lines.

The soldiers standing behind the defense lines were shivering, clearly affected by the cold. The weather was even colder than it had been yesterday. With every day that passed, this region to the west of the Cong Mountains seemed to be growing colder. Although it was still not the season for snowfall, there was little difference to Talas.

Even the ordinary soldiers could feel the abnormal weather, but the mood in Talas remained somber and grim. The change in weather was far less important than the battle that was on the verge of restarting.

Bwoooom!

A blaring horn shattered the serenity of early morning. As everyone watched, the silent Arab camp came to life like an awakening monster, group after group of Arab soldiers surging toward Talas.

Neigh!

The neighing of horses, the shouting of men, the clattering of armor... all of it mixed together into a massive din. Four black Arabian war banners, snapping in the cold wind of the morning, began to rapidly approach the first steel defense line.

Four mighty figures rode beneath the black war banners, stalwart and dignified. At the very front of the army was a golden figure, a sun that had fallen to the mortal world, who instantly attracted everyone’s notice.

“It’s Qutaybah!”

“Report this to Milord!”

In front of the first defense line, the Tang soldiers trembled at the sight of this figure, all their drowsiness vanishing, to be replaced with tension. “Hyah!” A scout mounted his warhorse and quickly rode into Talas.

“Haha, the Arabs have moved out, so now it’s our turn!”

In the rear of the army, Duwu Sili squinted his eyes, sharp light exploding from them while excitement covered his face.

“Hyah!”

Duwu Sili immediately galloped forward on his black steed, rising into the air toward the battlefield. Behind him, the rows of Western Turkic cavalry roared and yelled as they excitedly followed.

Awooo!

Following close behind them were tens of thousands of massive gray wolves, even larger than men, their canines bared.

“Let’s go!”

Farther back in the rear, Dalun Ruozan and Huoshu Huicang looked away from Duwu Sili and gave their own orders. Soon after, nearly seventy thousand Tibetan cavalry charged forward.

The air was somber while winds howled over Talas. War was once more descending.

Boom!

Not long after the Arabs moved out, there was a deafening metallic clatter from the lofty walls of Talas as its gates flew open. An energetic army with bright eyes marched out in disciplined fashion from the city.

Their armor was covered in scars and marks, but this did not make them seem shabby. On the contrary, these suits of armor exuded a tenacious will tempered through hundreds of battles. The seven stars in the shape of a ladle on their chests clearly communicated their identity.

The Divine Martial Army!

The Divine Martial Army had suffered significant casualties in yesterday’s battle, but after a night of reconsolidation, the soldiers of the Divine Martial Army had returned to their peak performance in every aspect: strength, mindset, morale, and Stellar Energy.

The rumbling continued as the Divine Prison Army, Dragon Stallion Army, Roaring Tiger Army... all the top-class armies of the Great Tang, their backs straight and their faces energetic, marched out from the city. At the very rear of this army were Wang Chong, Wang Yan, Gao Xianzhi, and Cheng Qianli, the highest Tang commanders.

Gao Xianzhi had barely ridden out of the city gates when he noticed something different and creased his brow. “Wang Chong, something’s wrong. The Arab formation seems to be different from yesterday.”

He had almost instinctively noticed that the Arab formation was subtly different.

After taking a glance, Wang Chong couldn’t help but laugh.

“Haha, it seems like the chess piece we laid beforehand is about to show its effects. The Western Turks are prepared to head into battle!

“The Arabs took too many losses in yesterday’s battle. Qutaybah and Abu Muslim probably plan to use Duwu Sili as cannon fodder.”

“Cannon fodder?”

Gao Xianzhi creased his brow in confusion at these words.

“By this, I mean scapegoats.”

Wang Chong faintly smiled.

Bwoooom!

The horns blared once more, and Qutaybah’s group came to a stop. Both sides entered a distant stand-off in the grim atmosphere. The commanders of the respective armies, Qutaybah and Abu Muslim, Wang Chong and Gao Xianzhi, met gazes, the collision seeming to produce sparks in the air.

As for everyone else, the vast majority of them looked to Wang Chong mounted on his White-hoofed Shadow. Even the Arab War God Qutaybah now paid attention to the young Tang commander-in-chief.

“Wang Chong, it seems that you’re already a thorn in his side. You must be careful in this battle.”

Gao Xianzhi broke out in laughter.

“Haha, just let them try. I’m just afraid that their attacks won’t break my Karmic Battle Armor.”

Wang Chong faintly smiled.

The surrounding people couldn’t help but laugh at this comment. Wang Chong didn’t have the highest level of martial arts of the people present, but his defensive capabilities were so formidable that there were truly very few people that could compare. Even Qutaybah found it very difficult to kill him, much less others. Moreover, the Demonic Emperor Old Man and Wushang Village Chief were both present. Even if Qutaybah and Abu Muslim were up to something, they wouldn’t get the chance.

......

“When the battle starts, kill that brat first!”

Aybak viciously glared into the distance.

“He won’t be able to run. In this battle, whether it’s him or that Gao Xianzhi, all of them will die!”

Boom! Osman took two steps forward, his expression cold and sinister.

The Tang might have won yesterday’s battle, but their advantage was still not very significant. The Arabs still outnumbered them and had still not sent out their best commanders.

Osman turned to Abu Muslim and said, “Abu Muslim, we’ve lost enough of our men. Let the Tibetans and Western Turks go first. Let them grind away at some of the Tang’s edge. After all, they are all armies of the east!”

Abu Muslim had been the primary backer of this alliance and the true executor. It was naturally best if he were the one to order around the Tibetans and Western Turks.

“Mm!”

Abu Muslim nodded and called over a messenger.

“Pass on my order. Inform the Western Turks and Tibetans to prepare to move out!”

“This subordinate will deliver this order!”

The messenger bowed and quickly left.

Upon receiving the message from the Arabs, Duwu Sili heartily laughed. His eyes showed no fear, only a sliver of anticipation.

“Hahaha, Shamask, Chekun Benba, it’s our turn to go out there! Pass on my order! All soldiers, prepare to charge!”

More than a month had passed since he had obtained the secret of formation phenomena. Duwu Sili had spent almost every night and day training in this technique and had already developed his own understanding of formation phenomena. He had infused the principles he had comprehended through his own career and experiences and was confident that the power of the formation phenomena was now even greater than it originally was. Right now, Duwu Sili was confident in fighting any possible opponent.

Soldiers were trained for a thousand days to be used in a single moment. In Duwu Sili’s mind, the battlefield of Talas was the best place for the Western Turks to make their debut. Duwu Sili wanted to use this stage to show everyone the power of the Western Turks. This was also the best chance to show to the Arabs that the Western Turks deserved a greater share of the pie in their future hegemony over the world.