The eyes! The eyes must be their weakness!
As the winds roared around him, Wang Chong shot a glance upward. There, he could see two scarlet eyes glowing like enormous lanterns in the sky: the giant ape’s eyes. Although the Arabs had used the helmet made of some unknown metal to cover the head of the giant ape, the eyes were unprotected. They were the only place available to Wang Chong for attack.
Roooar!
The giant ape roared as its scarlet eyes swiftly locked onto Wang Chong. Although everyone appeared like fleas to the giant ape, it could remember fleas that had hurt it. Whoosh! The giant ape raised its other arm, its five fingers spreading apart as it swatted its hand at Wang Chong.
Wang Chong immediately jumped away, barely escaping the fingers of the ape by a hair as he moved from the ape’s right arm to its left. Thud! He jumped forward, continuing his smooth ascent toward the ape’s head.
As he charged, he continued to use the Wootz Steel sword in his hand to unleash thousands of streams of Sword Qi that cut and hacked at the ape’s body.
Though the Tang ballistae could not pierce the giant ape’s hide, the Art of God and Demon Obliteration could. But it soon became obvious that the Wang Chong had not cultivated this technique enough. If Su Zhengchen were using this technique, he would assuredly have dealt this giant ape a severe injury, but Wang Chong was still far from this level. At his stage, the Sword Qi could only get a few feet deep before running out of steam. It was simply not possible for his Sword Qi to break through the tough and pliable defensive hide of the ape.
Boomboomboom!
Wang Chong’s constant attacks of Sword Qi were unable to severely injure the giant ape, but the biting pain had succeeded in infuriating the Consecrated!
The ape bellowed, and as the figure of Wang Chong was reflected in its eyes, they erupted with savagery and a craving to maim and crush. With astonishing speed, the ape raised both of its hairy arms and began to swing them at Wang Chong.
However, Wang Chong at this moment was like a leaf in the breeze. While the ape’s attacks seemed fierce, none of them were able to find purchase on Wang Chong. Wang Chong was getting closer and closer to the Behemoth’s head, but just when he was about to make the final leap, an invisible ripple of energy swept through the air, and then…
Bang!
The berserk ape that was randomly lashing out around it suddenly calmed down, and a hint of clarity appeared in its eyes.
And then, it did something very unexpected.
The ape brought its palms together with a thump and gave a mighty roar, upon which a powerful vibration began to spread from it. This vibration was suffused with a destructive energy, causing white ripples of energy to spread through the surroundings.
“What’s going on here?”
Wang Chong was astonished by this sight. Other than incredible strength, Wang Chong had not seen this ape display any other abilities. He had never imagined that just when he was about to leap onto its head, it would suddenly do something like this.
This Behemoth was a dreadful monster, its strength so great that even Imperial Great Generals could not match up to it. And unlike the rhino-shaped Behemoth, the Destroyer, or the Terrorizer, the Consecrated was in the shape of an ape, bestowed with nimble arms and an agile body, making it a much more formidable combatant.
Even when Wang Chong combined his strength with Gao Xianzhi and the others, they could not stop an ordinary Behemoth, much less this finest of the Arabian Behemoths. Although the ape did not use any Stellar Energy in this unique form of attack, its prodigious strength could shatter the earth. Until he took up the form of the Godking Yama, Wang Chong was no match for it.
Boom! There was no time to think, and Wang Chong jumped backward in the air and back to the ground. But though Wang Chong’s reaction was fast, he was still caught up in the white ripples of energy, which immediately began to batter and jolt against the Stellar Energy within his body.
Bang!
There was an explosion in the sky as Wang Chong’s body shook. The Stellar Energy around him dimmed and his face paled as he went flying through the air like a ragdoll.
“Lord Marquis!”
Xue Qianjun, Sun Zhiming, Zhuang Zhengping and the others on the ground all paled at this sight, the blood draining from their faces.
Wang Chong was the guiding light of the army, the heart of its morale. For him to be wounded was an enormous blow to the army.
“Hurry and save Lord Marquis!”
Xue Qianjun and the others immediately rushed toward where Wang Chong had landed. At this moment, the area around the giant ape was a storm of dust and sand, a zone of death. Anyone with insufficient strength who lingered there was inviting death.
But they had no time to worry about such things. Blessings did not come in pairs, whereas disaster never came alone.
As Xue Qianjun and the others rushed forward, three other explosions could be heard, followed by three loud thumps. Xue Qianjun subconsciously turned his head to look, and what he saw was two enormous gods and one tall and slender figure being thrown back by powerful blows.
“Lord Gao! Vice Protector-General Cheng! General Wang!”
As everyone began to realize who those three figures were, they began to cry out in panic. At this moment, Xue Qianjun and all the other Tang soldiers who had witnessed this sight began to tremble in fear.
Wang Chong, Gao Xianzhi, Cheng Qianli, and Wang Yan, the four highest commanders of the Tang army, were the anchors of Talas. While they were still present, the one hundred thousand soldiers of the Tang army could still maintain their cool, even when attacked from both within and without.
No one had expected all four to be injured at the same time.
Whether it was Wang Chong, Gao Xianzhi, Cheng Qianli, or Wang Yan, it was impossible for any of them to individually take on the Behemoths.
Roooar!
After knocking aside the four Tang commanders, the four Behemoths now had no more obstacles before them and began to advance past the Tang defense line. Boom! Bang! Crash! The steel walls toppled in clouds of dust while the powerful shockwaves created by the four Behemoths sent countless soldiers flying through the air like they were made of paper. “AAAAH!” Screams filled the air as the casualties on the Tang side began to soar.
“Kill!”
The Arab soldiers were overjoyed by this sight. The Arab soldiers had originally been maintaining a set distance between them and the Behemoths, not daring to get close, but upon seeing the current devastation, they changed plans. Making sure to keep a distance of a hundred-some zhang between them and the Behemoths, they surged around the Behemoths and began to assault the Tang forces.
“Release! Release! Release!”
The one thousand ballistae were still firing at the four Behemoths, but when the ballista teams saw what the Arabs were doing, they immediately changed targets and began to fire upon the savage-faced Arab warriors.
Swooshswooshswoosh! Each ballista bolt was like the reaper’s scythe, harvesting the lives of seven or eight Arab soldiers. But despite the power of the Tang ballistae, they could not stop the frenzied tide of Arab soldiers.
“Dalun Ruozan, Huoshu Huicang, we should also go!”
Duwu Sili’s hair was blowing in the wind as he watched the fierce battle from the hills.
“The situation has changed. The Tang won’t be able to last through the day. Now is the best time to strike.”
Duwu Sili’s eyes glimmered as his body thrummed with a burning will to fight. So great was this desire that the air around him began to twist and writhe.
The Arabs had displayed such a tremendous strength that Duwu Sili felt his will to fight being stimulated.
“Wait a little longer! Don’t make a decision like this too rashly!”
Dalun Ruozan shook his head, his eyes extremely cold and calm as he observed the battle.
“Abu Muslim and Ziyad have still not entered the battle, so now is not the best time for us to do so. Wait a litt
le longer. Once the Tang have suffered severe casualties, we’ll still have time to enter the field!”
Duwu Sili said nothing, but he shot a glance at the nearby Huoshu Huicang and Dusong Mangpoje. Their eyes were as cold as those of a statue and fixed upon one person. It was clear that they would follow Dalun Ruozan’s lead.
“Hmph!”
Duwu Sili snorted and suddenly charged forward. Before anyone could react, his stalwart Turkic steed was galloping through the air toward the Tang rear.
“Duwu Sili!”
Behind him, Huoshu Huicang and Dusong Mangpoje called out in surprise and shock. But such was Duwu Sili’s speed that he was gone in the blink of an eye.
“There’s no need to dissuade him. Don’t you see that he’s gone alone without bringing a single one of his soldiers?”
Dalun Ruozan enclosed his hands in his sleeves and faintly smiled. He appeared unperturbed as he watched Duwu Sili ride away, apparently long having predicted this course of action from Duwu Sili.
Chapter 972 - Unbending Resolve! (I)
Chapter 972: Unbending Resolve! (I)
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
Duwu Sili was far smarter than most people imagined him to be. Dalun Ruozan wanted to preserve manpower, and Duwu Sili treasured his own troops even more than Dalun Ruozan did. Thus, even though his words were fierce and harsh, Duwu Sili had never had any intentions of sending his own men. He could hide this fact from others, but never from Dalun Ruozan.
The two Tibetan generals looked at Duwu Sili’s back in understanding.
“So Great Minister already predicted that he would move?” Huoshu Huicang said.
Dalun Ruozan silently smiled. His eyes swept over the battlefield, but as they flitted over the front of the defense lines, his expression dimmed slightly.
The Arabian Empire was simply too powerful. He had traveled over a vast distance to the city of Talas with the intention of having a final battle between himself and Wang Chong, a contest of strategy, schemes, and tactics. Dalun Ruozan and Wang Chong were two of the best military strategists in the world, with very few people capable of standing equal with them.
Dalun Ruozan had deeply anticipated this contest of intellectuals. In fact, one could say that he had spent every day and night in the prison of Ü-Tsang’s royal capital anticipating this encounter. But it now appeared that this desire was bound to evaporate into nothing.
The power the Arabian Empire had displayed was simply too enormous, crushing any kind of tactic, strategy, or scheme, making all plans futile. Even someone as proud as Dalun Ruozan couldn’t help but shudder at this sight.
Only Wang Chong and the Great Tang would have been able to last so long under such fierce assaults. Both the Ü-Tsang Empire and the Western Turkic Khaganate would have been routed a long time ago.
“Alas, the Great Tang is doomed to defeat. Although I can’t personally defeat you and fulfill my wish, for me to personally see you off and serve as witness to your fall is enough!”
Dalun Ruozan gave a deep sigh. He knew that things looked grim for Wang Chong, and though he was not willing to admit it, he still couldn’t help but feel a deep regret when he saw Wang Chong losing to the Arabs like this.
……
“Kill!”
At the distant defense line, the one hundred thousand Tang soldiers were facing a situation far more dangerous than anyone could imagine.
“Exterminate these infidels!”
Tens of thousands of Arab cavalry surged over the defense line into the Tang formation. In the past, the Arabs would have needed to pay a heavy price to cross the line, but there was now a large gap in the steel walls, and the tight and disciplined Tang formations were now in a state of complete collapse from the attacks of the Behemoths.
“Warning! Defeat is imminent! The Great Tang has lost twenty thousand men!
“Warning! Defeat is imminent! Talas will soon be lost! User will soon be obliterated!
“The final warning! Upon defeat, all of user’s Destiny Energy will be wiped out! At the same time, all memories concerning user will be erased.”
As Wang Chong flew through the air, the cold and emotionless voice of the Stone of Destiny issued a string of messages. The terrifying jolts unleashed by the giant ape had sent Wang Chong flying for several hundred zhang.
As the winds howled around him and images flew past his ear, time seemed to slow to a crawl. Soaring backward and upside-down, Wang Chong could see the entire battlefield.
He saw the roaring Skyquaking Giants striding toward the last giant ballista, saw the Tang army in chaos, and saw countless panicked cavalry fleeing into the distance. There were both Tang and mercenaries amongst them, all of their faces pale and their eyes filled with fear.
Those four Behemoths had destroyed any confidence they had.
Rooooar! A Behemoth roared, and when Wang Chong moved his gaze past the cavalry, he could see a blood-drenched field, a land of shattered limbs carpeted by corpses of horse and man, their despairing eyes open wide to the sky.
Amongst these shattered limbs, Wang Chong could see rivers and lakes of blood, thousands upon thousands of shattered weapons, and blood-soaked banners, trampled upon by the charging Arab soldiers.
Farther ahead, close to the first defense line, Wang Chong was greeted by a scene of desolation. The other three Behemoths blocked out the sky, their eyes scarlet as they stomped down with their feet.
In front of these three Behemoths, even the hardy ground of Talas cracked and groaned. Giant boulders weighing a thousand jin were carried along by the shockwaves to soar ten-some zhang into the air. In the face of this vicious assault, the strength of man was too meager, too lowly.
No shieldman or cavalryman could stand against it.
It was there that the Tang casualties were the greatest. Even Gao Xianzhi, Cheng Qianli, and his father Wang Yan had been knocked away. Wang Chong could tell that they were worriedly shouting something at him, but he couldn’t hear what it was.
He could only see a sea of corpses, their lifeless eyes filled with despair.
In that moment, an agonizing pain filled his heart.
Are we going to lose?
As this thought occurred to him, his mind suddenly trembled with pain so searing that it was difficult to breathe. The art of war was a matter of life and death, a road to either safety or ruin. For a general, defeat on the battlefield was commonplace.
Wang Chong had believed that as long as he could win, reverse the tides, change the fate of Talas, and save the Great Tang, he could ignore everything else and regard it with indifference.
But then he saw those corpses, amongst which he could even recognize some soldiers that he could call out by name. Those people had followed him from the southwest and had never retreated a single step. They had followed him with blind faith, believing in him more than he had believed in himself, but in the end, they had all died.
What felt like an arc of lightning seemed to course through his body, and he felt a pain that arose from the very depths of his soul.
These were all powerful soldiers that he had nurtured. They should not have died here!
He had prepared for this battle for more than half a year. Three thousand Tang ballistae, five thousand of the most elite and well-equipped Wushang Cavalry, and many mercenaries and well-trained protectorate soldiers…
This battle should have resulted in overwhelming victory. Just where had he gone wrong?
This shouldn’t be! It can’t be like this!
As countless thoughts flitted through his mind, Wang Chong defiantly opened his eyes and clenched his fists. The defense line had been broken, the steel wall he had built up now existing only in name.
Even though he had done all he could, he still could not stop the advance of the four dreadful Behemoths and had even been sent flying by one himself. But no matter what, no matter the situation, he would not give up, would not concede!
It won’t be li
ke this! There must still be some hope, there must!
Wang Chong clenched his teeth together.
Boom!
Finally, Wang Chong smashed into the ground, excavating an enormous hole. Time returned to normal, and Wang Chong vomited out a mouthful of blood before getting back up. At this moment, thousands of sounds began to pour back in, and Wang Chong could finally understand what Gao Xianzhi and Cheng Qianli were saying.
“Wang Chong, retreat! Hurry and retreat!”
“There’s nothing else to be done! We can’t hold against the Behemoths.”
“We’ve lost Talas. Hurry and retreat!”
“Preserve our strength and we still have a chance!”
Wang Chong could see Gao Xianzhi and Cheng Qianli looking worriedly at him.
These were not timid individuals. During the Battle of Talas, Gao Xianzhi and Cheng Qianli had both remained steadfast despite their grim situation, lasting two months against the Arab assault.
Gao Xianzhi had never given up on this battle in that period, but now, he had finally chosen to withdraw. Although this decision was painful, it was also the wisest decision.
Gao Xianzhi’s heart was at rock bottom as he watched the inexhaustible Behemoths smash a bloody path of corpses through the battlefield. There was no question that the Great Tang had been completely defeated in this contest. Staying any longer would only create meaningless losses.
In fights against men, they could fight to the end, but they had to retreat in front of these Behemoths!
They could not allow the last bit of strength the Great Tang still had in the Western Regions to be buried here. If they clearly understood that defeat was obvious, why should they continue to fight?
The wisest decision a commander could make was to lead his soldiers in breaking out of the encirclements, doing their utmost to preserve their strength for another day.
“Chong-er! Hurry and go!”
Wang Yan also spoke, his face suffused with panic.
In all battles, Wang Yan was always courageous, never retreating half a step. Even in an arduous situation like the war of the southwest, he had never once thought about retreating. However, the herd of Behemoths and the vast sea of soldiers behind them left him without a single sliver of hope.
The Human Emperor c1-2382 Page 627