Gao Xianzhi was energized, and after obtaining Wang Chong’s approval, he immediately put on the suit of armor.
“Not bad! It fits extremely well!”
Gao Xianzhi became happier the more he inspected this armor. The armor had been exquisitely crafted so that each piece, curve, and joint was close to his body, making him feel like the armor was merely an extension of his body. It almost seemed like the armor was breathing with him. He had never felt this sort of feeling before.
“It’s fine as long as Lord Protector-General likes it.”
Wang Chong faintly smiled.
Once the matter of the suit of armor was finished, the two began to speak about fortifications, defenses, and any future threats they could face.
“Oh, that’s right. Lord Protector-General, there’s one more thing.”
Just when the two were about to finish their talk, Wang Chong suddenly brought up the other matter on his mind, the primary reason he had called Gao Xianzhi over.
“I wish to discuss a matter with Lord Protector-General. For soldiers, quality is superior to quantity. I want to select a few of the best soldiers from the Anxi Protectorate army, Qixi Protectorate army, and the mercenary soldiers to form a special army to deal with the Arabs.”
“Oh?”
Gao Xianzhi’s brows rose in surprise. The Great Tang didn’t have enough soldiers at Talas, so he had never imagined that Wang Chong would choose a time like this to propose organizing a new army.
“What sort of army do you want to organize?” Gao Xianzhi probed, not yet revealing his position on the matter.
Chapter 1030 - Mo Saber Unit1!
Chapter 1030: Mo Saber Unit1!
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
“Lord Gao, you also know that the majority of our army is infantry. In truth, the Great Tang’s strongest force is its infantry, even though a significant part of the army is cavalry. However, in terms of cavalry, there are very few forces in the Great Tang besides the Wushang Cavalry that can compare to the Arab cavalry,” Wang Chong earnestly said.
He had thought about this plan for a very long time, but in order to truly implement it, he needed Gao Xianzhi’s agreement.
“This truly is the case. The Anxi Protectorate army is already the best amongst the Great Tang protectorates, but it’s still disadvantaged when facing the Arabs. If we don’t rely on the walls of Talas, we simply won’t be able to hold for very long on plains like these against so many Arabs,” Gao Xianzhi sternly said.
Whether it was the Arabs, Western Turks, or Tibetans, these were all people who lived on horseback. An agricultural society like the Great Tang could not compare to them in terms of cavalry. This was a publicly acknowledged fact that there was no need to deny.
“When fighting with foreigners, we normally rely on a mix of many soldier types, like infantry, cavalry, and ballistae. In this aspect, we’re different from the Arabs and the Turks, so we can’t directly compare our ways of fighting. But on open plains, cavalry still possess the absolute advantage,” Gao Xianzhi said.
Wang Chong nodded. Gao Xianzhi’s final words had illustrated their true circumstances. Talas was situated on an open plain, the worst kind of terrain for the primarily infantry Tang armies. In this place, the flexibility of cavalry far surpassed that of infantry, and the flat and open plain also made it easier for cavalry to take up formation and pick up speed.
If not for the two steel defense lines Wang Chong had erected outside of Talas and the lethal power of the Great Tang ballistae, the Great Tang infantry would have found it very difficult to hold the line against so many elite Arab cavalry.
“This is something that I’ve always wanted to change. If the situation really is as that Khorasani said, then four hundred thousand soldiers and three Arab governors will be our future challengers. Moreover, after fighting with us for so long, Abu Muslim has experience, and the two steel defense lines probably won’t be able to hold him back for long,” Wang Chong said.
He would never underestimate his opponents, much less an outstanding Great General like Abu Muslim. Even Dalun Ruozan had thought of using elephants and ropes in the southwest to deal with the steel walls, while Arabia was even stronger and had even more resources available to it.
“If this is the case, our only option is to withdraw into Talas…” Gao Xianzhi said, his brow creasing.
“But if we withdraw into the city, we will lose all initiative and be completely following the tempo of our enemy. More importantly, in an encounter on a narrow road, it is the courageous one that emerges victorious. This is the first large-scale conflict between Arabia and the Great Tang. We don’t understand Arabia very well, and Arabia doesn’t understand the Great Tang very well. If we withdraw into the city, we will show our weakness to the enemy. This will only spark Arabia’s ambition and result in endless wars in the future.”
Wang Chong voiced the part that Gao Xianzhi had omitted.
This battle was not merely a battle between factions, but a struggle over momentum. This was why Wang Chong was so determined to hold the two defense lines outside the city, fighting them on the outside and not the inside. This was also why Wang Chong and Gao Xianzhi had not retreated, even though they had defeated the Arabs!
“…Not only that. If the Arabs have absorbed the lesson from the last battle, they’ll besiege Talas and not actually fight. It won’t even take three months for us to run out of supplies, and then our defeat will be assured!”
The study fell silent. Gao Xianzhi’s brows were deeply furrowed, and an oppressive air settled in.
Abu Muslim was a bold general, but he did not lack for a cunning mind. The first time, he thought that he could overcome his opponent by force, but made no progress in two months. This time, if the Great Tang wanted to rely on the walls of Talas, they were being far too simple-minded. Even more dangerous was that without the two steel defense lines, the Tibetans and Western Turks would be able to merge their armies with the Arabs, assembling seven Great Generals. The three empires would have the liberty to select their targets and crush the Great Tang with the power of Great Generals.
After a few moments, Gao Xianzhi broke the silence.
“What do you plan to do?”
Wang Chong faintly smiled, knowing that Gao Xianzhi had understood.
“I plan to form a new kind of soldier group, the Mo Saber soldiers!”
“Mo Saber soldiers?”
Gao Xianzhi raised his head and looked across the desk at Wang Chong, a hint of confusion in his eyes. Gao Xianzhi had a wide range of experience and had studied many military texts, but he had never heard of a unit of soldiers like this.
“What do you mean by this? Do you plan to even change the weapons?”
Gao Xianzhi had immediately noticed the ‘Mo Saber’ that Wang Chong had mentioned. The Great Tang had many kinds of sabers, but he had never heard of this ‘Mo Saber’.
“Haha, I knew that I couldn’t hide it from Milord.”
Wang Chong faintly smiled and immediately went to the point.
“Come; bring that in!”
“Yes, Lord Marquis!”
Under Gao Xianzhi’s curious gaze, a soldier of the Qixi Protectorate army strode in, a silk box eight feet long on his shoulder.
“A crescent moon saber?”
Gao Xianzhi turned his head to Wang Chong in surprise.
In the Great Tang, swords were three feet long, with a minority being four feet. Sabers were slightly longer, but not by much. Long sabers of four feet were very rare, and the only one Gao Xianzhi knew of was the Green Dragon Crescent Blade. It was rumored that more than five hundred years ago, in the end stages of the Eastern Han Dynasty, the Martial Saint with the long beard and the surname Guan used a Green Dragon Crescent Blade.
But this kind of weapon was suited only for applying skills and techniques. Battles between Great Generals were duels between supreme experts, so such a weapon could be used there, but for ordinary weap
ons, this kind of weapon was extremely inconvenient.
“Of course not!”
Wang Chong saw Gao Xianzhi’s dumbstruck expression and shook his head. Getting up from his desk, he walked to the Qixi soldier.
“Milord will know once you see.”
He gestured to the soldier as he spoke. Pa! The silk box was opened, revealing an eight-foot weapon different from any other weapon in this world. At the sight of this weapon, Gao Xianzhi’s pupils constricted and an amazed expression appeared on his face.
The weapon in the box was an extremely straight saber. The edge was extremely sharp and both sides of the blade were extremely smooth, making it easy to hack and slash with the weapon. At a glance, one could see that this was an incredibly lethal weapon. Moreover, the surface of the weapon was as smooth as a mirror and gorgeous to behold. It was like a shark, vicious and brutal but bestowed with a graceful body.
This was no longer a weapon, but a work of art. It could even turn the cruel act of killing into an art form.
Even Gao Xianzhi had to admit that Wang Chong had reached a breathtaking level in the art of weaponsmithing!
There was probably nobody that could compare to him in this, not just in the Great Tang, but perhaps all the countries of the continent.
However, the look of praise in Gao Xianzhi’s eyes persisted for only a few moments before dimming.
“It truly is a good saber! But it doesn’t seem usable on the battlefield.”
Gao Xianzhi somewhat regretfully looked away from the Mo Saber.
“Oh?”
Wang Chong softly smiled. Wang Chong took a light sip and then turned to Gao Xianzhi, apparently having expected this reaction.
“Lord Protector-General believes that this sort of saber is too long, making it easy to apply force but also easy to break?”
“Correct!”
Gao Xianzhi’s voice was half-tinged with regret.
“We’ve thought about using a saber like this before, and there were even quite a few people who wanted to go another step and have a large number of them forged. But all the attempts failed. This is what it means that ‘what’s hard is actually easy to break’. Designing a saber or sword to be three to four feet long was always to make it difficult to break. This saber is nearly eight feet long. In an actual battle, it might not even last ten slashes before snapping in two. On the intense battlefield, you probably understand what it means when this kind of weapon breaks in the middle of a fight.”
Gao Xianzhi couldn’t help but deeply sigh. Wang Chong’s idea was rather good, but it wasn’t practical. Concept was completely different from reality. This saber… could only stop in the realm of concepts!
“Hahaha, Milord, I naturally considered this point when designing this Mo Saber. If Lord Protector-General thinks it will break, why don’t you try and snap it in two?”
Wang Chong chuckled, an expression of absolute confidence on his face.
“Oh?”
Gao Xianzhi’s eyes flickered in shock, but he quickly regained his composure. Long sabers were easy to break. This was a problem that had not been solved in one thousand years. How could it be solved so easily now? But Gao Xianzhi said nothing more. Reality reigned supreme over debate. He could determine with a single move whether Wang Chong’s saber was usable or not.
Ding!
Without turning his head, Gao Xianzhi extended a finger and flicked it at the Mo Saber, four feet up from the hilt. Clang! A thunderous metallic boom immediately came from the blade and resounded through the room.
The uncaring Gao Xianzhi instantly grimaced. Although he had just casually flicked his finger, this strike from a Great General had the weight of one thousand jin behind it. This was equivalent to a ferocious attack from a Profound Martial expert. Gao Xianzhi had originally believed that the length of this saber and the fact that he had attacked where the saber was weakest meant that this Mo Saber would snap. He had not expected this result.
Bang!
Gao Xianzhi immediately flicked his finger again, though this time, his face was much more serious. The power in his finger was also much greater, sufficient to snap many precious swords and sabers, much less this Mo Saber.
There was yet another metallic boom, and the pile of papers and tea cup on Wang Chong’s desk trembled. A few drops of tea even shot out of the cup and struck the ceiling. But when the metallic boom faded, the eight-foot-long Mo Saber was still unharmed within the box. Its gorgeous surface was still a shiny mirror that showed not a single trace of damage.
______________1.The Mo Saber was a kind of one-edged weapon that the Tang developed for use against Turkic cavalry. It was seven feet overall, with the hilt being four feet while the blade was three feet. The historical Li Siye was apparently an expert in the use of this weapon and had a unit of soldiers under his command that used this weapon. The weapon as described in this chapter is somewhat different from the historical version.↩
Chapter 1031 - Gao Xianzhi's Great General's Heart!
Chapter 1031: Gao Xianzhi’s Great General’s Heart!
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
“This… How?”
Gao Xianzhi froze, finally realizing that there was something unusual about this long saber. That it could stop flicks from his finger meant that Wang Chong was already very experienced in forging this new kind of weapon. The sheer toughness and tenacity of the blade meant that the quality of this weapon had taken a massive leap, surpassing the vast majority of this world’s weapons.
“A good saber! A truly excellent saber! Long is easy to break, and I’ve never encountered a long saber that can break this rule. Wang Chong, I didn’t think that you had this skill. Wonderful!”
Gao Xianzhi was an illustrious Great General with ten-some years of battlefield experience, and he almost instinctively felt that these long sabers had enormous value. Whoosh! Gao Xianzhi immediately snatched the eight-foot Mo Saber from its silk box. As he turned it over in his hands and waved it around, his eyes grew brighter and brighter.
This saber was also easy to slash and hack with, so together with its toughness, it was essentially a hegemon amongst sabers.
A single such saber might not be that amazing, but thousands of men equipped with this Mo Saber would be a dreadful flood of destruction on the battlefield.
This saber was a weapon that was made to dominate the battlefield.
“Wang Chong, how many of these weapons do you have?”
Gao Xianzhi turned to Wang Chong. He now understood what Wang Chong meant with his Mo Saber soldiers. If a unit of elites were entirely equipped with these long sabers, they would possess unimaginable killing power. And Wang Chong could tell at a glance that this weapon was eight feet long precisely so that infantry could use it to deal with cavalry.
If this sort of saber were swung down, both the horse and the rider atop it would be in range of the Mo Saber’s attacks. Such was the terrifying power of this saber that Gao Xianzhi was wholly capable of imagining the scene of both rider and horse being cleaved into two on the battlefield.
“Zhang Shouzhi has already forged more than one hundred. As long as Milord agrees, all the craftsmen will begin to work on this task. Within a month, all the Mo Sabers should be completed. Before this, we can have the soldiers use wooden staves as substitutes,” Wang Chong seriously said.
Wang Chong had forged this Mo Saber using forging techniques from far beyond this generation. In terms of materials, Wang Chong had gathered up many of the Arabian scimitars and melted them down into the finest steel. By mixing this steel together with Meteoric Metal and a small amount of Wootz Steel, he was able to create this Mo Saber that was both tough and easy to wield, making it a true treasure amongst sabers.
“Wang Chong, we’ll follow this bold plan of yours! I will have the Anxi Protectorate army do everything it can to help you!”
Gao Xianzhi’s eyes flashed with a strange light as he made his decision.
Rumble!
Gao Xianzhi would never know that the moment he agreed, the entire manner in which war played out on this continent changed with it. A soldier type that had never been seen before was about to take the stage!
After sending off Gao Xianzhi, Wang Chong himself soon left the study. In the northern training ground of Talas, Wang Chong met with Li Siye and his forty-six hundred Wushang Cavalry.
“Lord Marquis!”
Li Siye rode his Ferghana horse up to Wang Chong, placing a hand on his chest and bowing.
Wang Chong raised his head and asked, “Are they ready?”
“Lord Marquis, be at ease. Everyone is awaiting Lord Marquis’s call!”
Wang Chong nodded and sternly said, “Very good. Take these sheets of paper and have the Wushang Cavalry train according to them day and night. Our time is very limited. In one month, you must finish cultivating this formation.”
“Your subordinate will do all in his power to fulfill this order!”
Li Siye shot a glance at the contents of those papers, which caused his expression to turn grim and his pupils to constrict. After bidding farewell to Wang Chong, he immediately rode back to his men.
‘Asura Hell’!
This was the name of the formation that Wang Chong had described on those two sheets of paper. Li Siye had heard Wang Chong occasionally mention some Ten Great Formations. The Wushang Cavalry’s Ten Charges Ten Victories Formation was ranked the lowest of these ten, and the Asura Hell… was ranked second.
……
Gao Xianzhi entered the reception hall of the Lord of Talas and returned to his residence. After taking off the new suit of armor Wang Chong had forged for him, he seated himself before his own desk and began to handle military affairs.
Just like Wang Chong, Gao Xianzhi had many tasks to take care of. The treatment of the Anxi Protectorate army’s wounded, the distribution of supplies, the placating of the Ferghanans and the Karluks, the repairs to the city, the patrol routes of the scouts… there were far too many matters to handle.
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