Chapter 1839: Attack of the Great Generals! (II)
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
Thudthudthud!
Amidst fierce collisions, screams tore through the air. To the shock of the tens of thousands of Arab cavalry, they were unable to hold against Zhangchou Jianqiong in a direct clash and were utterly crushed, many of them being slain.
The onlookers to this battle were all stunned. Wunu s.h.i.+bi, standing on the steppe, had his jaw agape in shock.
He and Zhangchou Jianqiong had been in two completely different regions. They had never fought and never met.
At most, he had some impression of him from the information that had been gathered.
But the Tiger of the Empire at this moment had left an extremely deep impression.
“When did the Great Tang get this powerful?!” Wunu s.h.i.+bi muttered to himself in shock.
s.h.i.+eld soldiers in front, archers in the rear, using dense defensive formations to block the cavalry charge until their speed ground to a halt and then finally launching a counterattack—this was the Great Tang that Wunu s.h.i.+bi remembered.
When did the Great Tang become so bold that they would charge out, outnumbered, to face the world-renowned Arab cavalry?
Was this still the Great Tang that all the other foreign countries knew?
Khatabah, Abu Muslim, and the other Arab Governors were also stunned. They had never expected the Great Tang to attack them while being so badly outnumbered.
Khatabah’s face darkened as he ordered, “Tell Apolis that if he loses in a direct clash against the Tang, there is no need for him to come back!”
“b.a.s.t.a.r.d! All soldiers, follow me! Kill!”
Khatabah was not the only one provoked by this development. The ten-some Governors and Deputy Governors on the front line were enraged, and one of the Arab Governors immediately called over two Deputy Governors and charged with tens of thousands of men in Arrow Formation at the left flank of the Annan Protectorate army.
Gallop! As this force charged, a ma.s.sive halo erupted from the feet of the Arab Governor and caused the strength of his men to soar.
This majestic energy completely surpa.s.sed that of the Annan Protectorate army.
The two sides drew closer and closer. The Arab Governor was on the verge of collision with the Annan Protectorate army, preparing to use his formidable cultivation to break the offensive. But at this moment, Zhangchou Jianqiong’s eyes gleamed with cold light.
“Hmph! Nothing but a bunch of clowns!”
Zhangchou Jianqiong shot forward on his pitch-black steed, cras.h.i.+ng into the Arab Governor like a lightning bolt.
Bang!
The two Stellar Energies exploded in the midst of the army, but a moment later, the stalemate was broken. Crimson energy swept through the air and tore apart the Arab Governor’s ebony Stellar Energy.
Swis.h.!.+ Cold light flashed before anyone could react, blood gushed out, and a head was soon spinning through the air.
One strike!
With one strike, the Tiger of the Empire had slain the Arab Governor, and he was not done yet.
“Five Mountains Lightning!”
With a thunderous roar, dark red Stellar Energy erupted from Zhangchou Jianqiong’s body.
s.p.a.ce began to s.h.i.+ft around Zhangchou Jianqiong, and five ma.s.sive mountains manifested, lightning flas.h.i.+ng between the imposing peaks.
But a second later, this manifestation transformed into a destructive storm that hurtled into the dense ranks of the Arab army.
“Ah!”
With bitter screams, the two Arab Deputy Governors were struck by the crimson storm. Unable to even take this single strike, they vomited blood and were blown back more than a hundred feet, taking nearly one hundred Arab cavalry with them.
“How could this be?”
Apolis trembled in shock at this sight.
He had a deep understanding of the Governor and two Deputy Governors who had charged out. Although they were not amongst the strongest, they should have been comparable to the Great Generals of the Great Tang. But instead, the three of them had been slain and maimed by that one Tang. It was simply absurd.
“Tiger!”
“Tiger!”
“Tiger!”
The Annan Protectorate army was further invigorated at the sight of Zhangchou Jianqiong killing an enemy commander, and they charged forward with even greater vigor.
Bang! Bang! Bang! The Annan Protectorate army knocked aside all opposition in its path. The Arab cavalry were like mere ragdolls, blown back with shattered bones and limbs.
In the rear, w.a.n.g Chong and the others couldn’t help but slightly nod in approval.
Zhangchou Jianqiong might have spent a few years in the capital, and the southwest might have been without any major wars for many years, but as the saying went, a treasured knife did not age. No! It was better to say that while this treasured knife of the Great Tang had been stored away for many years, this had only made its strength and sharpness even more frightening.
Neigh!
As Zhangchou Jianqiong was leading the Annan Protectorate army in a fierce advance, on the other side, An Sishun suddenly chose to attack with the Beiting Protectorate army.
Clangclangclang! An Sishun’s attack was so sudden that before the Arabs could react, he had already plunged several hundred meters into the Arab lines and was continuing to advance.
Zhangchou Jianqiong specialized in seizing momentary weaknesses in the enemy formation and creating further opportunities to exploit. Meanwhile, when An Sishun found a weakness in the enemy army, he would expand it to its limit. At the same time, he would use his constantly s.h.i.+fting cavalry tactics to spread chaos from one end of the army to the other, with this chaos preventing the enemy cavalry in the rear from reaching the front line.
An Sishun did not excel as much as Zhangchou Jianqiong when it came to creating opportunities, but he far surpa.s.sed Zhangchou Jianqiong when it came to exploiting these opportunities.
w.a.n.g Chong examined An Sishun’s determined and swift strike on the right flank, and nodded in approval.
“Zhangchou Jianqiong’s strength is exhibited in his tactical prowess, but An Sishun is a true cavalry Great General. Very few Great Generals can surpa.s.s him when it comes to command of cavalry!”
Each Great General of the empire had their own unique traits. One might be skilled in tactics, one could be skilled in dealing with cavalry, and another could be skilled in using cavalry. There was also the Tongluo Great General, Abusi, who specialized in training soldiers. The quality of his men was far above those of the standard Great General.
“Kill!”
“For the Great Tang!”
An Sishun led his soldiers in a fierce advance, and in a few short moments, the Arabs’ left and right flanks had been completely run through.
“b.a.s.t.a.r.d!”
Apolis gnashed his teeth in rage.
Everyone knew that the Arab cavalry were far stronger than those of other countries, but in this first contest, the Arab cavalry had disgracefully lost to the eastern infidels.
“Go! Go! Go! Everyone, get in there and crush them!”
Apolis’s eyes were red as he bellowed. It was one thing if the enemy had been cowering behind the defense line, but even though they had engaged in an offensive, the Arabs were still being routed. He could not accept this humiliation.
Rumble!
The Arab cavalry rumbled as it converged on the Annan Protectorate army and Beiting Protectorate army, and the screams and neighs grew even louder.
But no matter how much the Arabs charged, they were not able to break these two armies.
As the Arabs charged again and again, w.a.n.g Chong, w.a.n.g Zhongsi, Gao Xianzhi, and Abusi calmly watched on.
It was one thing if they were at a disadvantage, but when the Protector-Generals of the Great Tang had the upper hand, they excelled at maintaining this advantage more than the Great Generals of any other empire. In addition, w.a.n.g Chong had bolstered their forces so that they each had one hundred thousand soldiers, so the Arabs did not have an advantage in numbers.
“While the Arabs are strong, they lack in tactics, at least compared to the Great Tang. If this continues and they still have nothing else, these two hundred thousand Arab cavalry will crumble. Trying to use this small force to break our defense line is simply delusional!” Gao Xianzhi said, his voice transmitted through a mental wave. To his left was Feng Changqing, and to his right were Cheng Qianli and Xi Yuanqing. All of them were paying close attention to this battle.
As the Wall of the Empire, Gao Xianzhi possessed an extraordinary intuition. Zhangchou Jianqiong and An Sishun had merely pierced through the enemy flanks, Apolis still had his main central force standing strong, there were even enemy cavalry infiltrating the front line, and the Behemoth Army was still advancing.
But in the eyes of Gao Xianzhi, the Arabs had already lost.
Atop the White-hoofed Shadow, w.a.n.g Chong was pondering something. Nearby, Crown Prince’s Junior Guardian w.a.n.g Zhongsi was also apparently inspecting the battlefield in search of something.
“Something’s not right!”
As w.a.n.g Zhongsi looked toward the unperturbed figure of Khatabah and the vast and motionless army of Arab soldiers around him, he frowned.
At almost the same moment, w.a.n.g Chong suddenly sensed something, and together with Gao Xianzhi, Abusi, and King Song, he raised his head and looked up.