Chapter 1177: The Advantage of the Tigris River!
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
“w.a.n.g Chong, I’ve come to help you!”
In a rush of wind, a figure soared down from the walls like a bird. The Wushang Village Chief with his cane was extremely prominent. After the Battle of Talas, w.a.n.g Chong had managed, together with the a.s.sistance of the other generals, to help the village chief and the Demonic Emperor Old Man recover their former strength.
“Eight Ultimate Sunderings Art!”
At almost the same moment, Gao Xianzhi unsheathed his sword and flew down from the walls.
“Ocean Ring!”
The air suddenly resounded with the roaring of the ocean waves as Cheng Qianli jumped down from the walls, the Ocean Ring in his hand.
After killing Ziyad, w.a.n.g Chong had obtained his Ocean Ring. After everyone had tried it out, they discovered that Cheng Qianli had the greatest compatibility with the Ocean Ring, so it had been left for him to use. Cheng Qianli no longer had the Supreme Desolation G.o.d, but with the Ocean Ring, he could still reach the level of Great General.
To confront the many Arab governors, Brigadier Generals, and other generals, Bahram, Aiben, and the other rebel leaders also began to rush out of the city. Not long after this battle had begun, a battle between Great Generals was about to break out.
The air over the eastern sh.o.r.e of the Tigris River swiftly became a dangerous zone. Weighty shockwaves swept across it, and the sounds of roars and collisions echoed through the air. Various kinds of martial arts and weapons gleamed and dazzled. The members of each side worked together to defend and attack, and neither was able to determine who was the better.
Neigh!
A sharp neighing came from down below. An Arab governor glanced down and instantly paled.
“Everyone, it’s bad! Our soldiers can’t hold!”
Beneath the tall and imposing walls of Khorasan, countless Tang, Khorasani, and rebel soldiers were wreaking havoc on the Arabs as they fought on the edges of the battlefield.
As the Three t.i.tans of Black Radiance, Hular, and the other Arab governors were battling with w.a.n.g Chong’s forces, the Tang, Khorasani, and rebel soldiers, commanded by Li Siye, Cui Piaoqi, and the Gangke King, had completely surrounded the two hundred thousand Arab soldiers on the eastern sh.o.r.e and were beginning a full-scale extermination.
Meanwhile, soldiers were continuing to pour out of the gates of Khorasan. If this continued, the two hundred thousand soldiers on the eastern sh.o.r.e would be wiped out long before the battle between Great Generals was over.
When the Three t.i.tans of Black Radiance looked down and saw this sight, their pupils constricted and their faces twisted into grimaces. The Tigris River on the western flank of Khorasan had become the Arabs’ greatest weakness.
“Retreat! All soldiers withdraw!”
In normal circ.u.mstances, the Tang soldiers would have never been able to surround and encircle the full army of seven hundred thousand soldiers, but the Tigris River meant that the Arab reinforcements were extremely slow. Thus, the five hundred thousand soldiers on the opposite sh.o.r.e were completely helpless and could only watch.
“Hmph! You only thought about this now? Cui Piaoqi, Li Siye, Gangke King, hear my order! All soldiers, tighten the circle and exterminate the Arabs!” w.a.n.g Chong loudly declared as he floated in mid-air.
To always be aware of the present situation was a necessary trait for a general. Before even beginning to battle with the Three t.i.tans of Black Radiance, w.a.n.g Chong had already planned everything out. By the time the Arabs noticed anything, w.a.n.g Chong had finished with his preparations, completely encircling the Arab soldiers on the eastern sh.o.r.e.
With w.a.n.g Chong’s order, the Tang, Khorasani, and rebel soldiers began to close the net, immediately charging at the Arabs from all directions.
Bangbangbang! Arab cavalry were cut down like weeds. No matter how much they struggled, they were unable to resist.
Ten thousand, thirty thousand, fifty thousand, seventy thousand… the Arabs were collapsing far faster than imagined. This was partially because the Tang attacks were prepared and disciplined, but also partially because the Arabs were in a state of panic, unaware of where the next attack could come from.
The army was swiftly crumbling. In the air, where the highest-level battle was taking place, the Arabs could contend with the Great Tang, and they even had a slight advantage, but things were completely different on the ground.
“Kill the soldiers surrounding them! Open a path for the soldiers!”
Boom! A black ball of energy crashed like a meteor into a group of soldiers, followed by several more explosions. In a flash, the shattered limbs and bodies of rebel soldiers rained down from the sky.
Fadi, the Head of Black Radiance, was the first to land, with Hular and the other Arab governors close behind, all of them attacking the Tang coalition army.
With the help of the governors, the Arabs were able to quickly open a path to the sh.o.r.e, whereupon the soldiers began to jump onto the boats and retreat back to the western sh.o.r.e.
“Go! Hurry!”
A panicked Arab horseman rushed into the icy river waters, boarded a boat, and fled toward the western sh.o.r.e. Behind, more and more Arab soldiers were pouring into the gap as they fled westward.
“Withdraw! Retreat as quickly as possible!”
The army was in a state of complete mayhem.
“Fars, Gumadan, lead your armies and cover the retreat! Don’t let the Tang come over!” Hular suddenly called out to two black-armored governors, but before he had even finished…
Boom!
A ma.s.sive dragon banner suddenly appeared in the middle of the open gates of Khorasan, and beneath this banner, a muscular giant strode out. He was followed closely behind by army after army, all of them surging with an unstoppable aura toward the Arab army.
The Divine Martial Army, Dragon Stallion Army, Divine Prison Army, Azure Martial Army, Tongluo Cavalry… one top-cla.s.s Tang army after another stepped onto the battlefield. Clang! A Divine Martial Army soldier slashed with his sword, cleaving an Arab horseman in two before he could react, and then a second, a third…
The moment the Tang mobilized its elite armies, the Arab soldiers began to drop like flies, the Tang soldiers reaping their lives like stalks of wheat.
Countless hors.e.m.e.n charged up to stop them, but they were like ants trying to shake a tree. They had barely charged forward before they were cut down, their bodies dropping to the ground. Five thousand, six thousand, eight thousand, ten thousand…
Although the Divine Prison Army, Divine Martial Army, and Dragon Stallion Army did not fight on horseback, they advanced far faster than cavalry. “Aaaah!” Screams filled the air as these Arab soldiers drawn from the interior of the empire experienced the power of the Tang elites for the first time. The psychological blow of this a.s.sault was simply unparalleled.
The Arabs had already been at an incredible disadvantage, and now that the black-armored guard had led the elite Tang armies into the fray, it was a calamity on top of a disaster. There was truly no hope of reversing the tides of this battle.
“All soldiers, retreat at full speed!”
At this sight, Hular clenched his teeth. Giving up on fully preserving his army, he ordered all his soldiers to withdraw as quickly as possible.
Bwoooom!
Horns blared from the opposite sh.o.r.e, signaling the retreat.
The sound of the horns caused the Tang, Khorasani, and rebel soldiers to redouble their a.s.sault.
Thudthudthud! One pale-faced corpse after another dropped to the ground. In just a few short moments, one hundred and ten thousand of the original two hundred thousand Arab soldiers had been slain, and the Tang coalition army continued to press in on all sides, a seemingly endless horde.
The s.p.a.ce was getting smaller and smaller, and not even the boats had time to send over all the Arab cavalry. Finally…
Splas.h.!.+ Splas.h.!.+
An Arab horseman, with no other choice, plunged into the cold and rapid waters of the Tigris River with his horse and was swept downstream. A second, third, and fourth followed, and then thousands of Arab hors.e.m.e.n began to jump into the river.
A soldier jumping into the river had a chance of dying, but there was also a rather large chance of surviving. In contrast, remaining on the sh.o.r.e with the Tang and Khorasani meant certain death.
Five thousand, six thousand, seven thousand… more and more soldiers jumped into the river. Some of them swam to the opposite sh.o.r.e, but even more were swept downstream. In just a few moments, all the Arab soldiers on the eastern sh.o.r.e had either jumped into the river or boarded boats. Meanwhile, the Three t.i.tans of Black Radiance, Hular, and the Arab governors and generals shot into the sky or traversed the surface of the river to reach the opposite sh.o.r.e.
“Let’s stop here!”
At a certain distance from the sh.o.r.e, w.a.n.g Chong waved his hand and ordered his soldiers to stop. The Tigris River was a double-edged sword. It could be used to deal with the Arabs, but it was also a shackle for the Tang. Fortunately, the Tang held the advantageous position in this area. The ones who needed to break the stalemate were the Arabs, not the Tang.
“Withdraw!”
With this order, all the soldiers withdrew into Khorasan, leaving behind a corpse-strewn battlefield on the eastern sh.o.r.e of the Tigris River.