Following Khatabah’s order, the Arabian hunting falcons took to the skies like arrows leaving their bows, shooting toward the fierce battle in the air.
Chapter 1842 - : Sandworm Assault!
Chapter 1842: Sandworm Assault!
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
The Arabian hunting falcons had fierce and powerful bodies. While they were no threat to the Tang soldiers on the ground, they could pressure the Tang eagle army and effectively attack it.
Thudthudthud!
In a few short moments, the hunting falcons had entered the fray and begun a fierce battle with the Tang birds.
“Master! This is bad! Arabia’s hunting falcons have joined the battle!” said Zhang Que, looking up at the sky, his voice fraught with tension.
In this aerial battle, the Great Tang’s greatest advantage was that their birds far outnumbered the giant birds. But if Arabia sent all of its hunting falcons, this advantage would evaporate. And in reality, as the vast number of hunting falcons joined the battle, the situation was slowly starting to turn against the Great Tang, its forces beginning to suffer significant losses.
The Arab riders atop the giant birds were also swinging their scimitars to counterattack. If this continued, the eagle army would no longer be able to suppress the giant bird army.
“Pass my order! Change targets to the steel balls they’re carrying!” Old Eagle suddenly ordered. He had been watching the skies this entire time, and his eyes gleamed with a wise light.
Buzz!
With Old Eagle’s order, the situation on the battlefield rapidly shifted. The birds that had been attacking the giant birds and their Arab riders suddenly changed targets.
Bang!
A gyrfalcon suddenly drew back its wings and shot down like an arrow toward a heavy steel ball on the back of a giant bird.
The heavy impact and shock caused the steel ball next to the Arab rider to shatter. A wisp of flame leaked out from within and rapidly evolved into a fierce explosion that caused all the other steel balls on the back of the giant bird to explode.
Boom!
With a resounding boom and a fierce explosion, the giant bird and its rider turned into a fireball that even engulfed nearly ten giant birds in the surrounding area.
“Ah!”
With miserable shrieks, four or five of the giant birds were blasted to pieces, chunks of their bodies falling to the ground.
A single strike had destroyed a number of giant birds that originally would have taken much longer to kill.
The officer of the giant bird army saw what had happened and suddenly shouted, “Watch out! Scatter!
“Protect the oil! Don’t let them get close!”
Wunu Shibi, Namri Songtian, and the spectating Arab Governors and Deputy Governors were all stunned by this sight.
At this moment, those in the most danger were the soldiers of the giant bird army. Those steel balls that were originally meant for the Tang army on the ground were now being used against them. Even if they decided to ignore all the birds flocking around them, they could no longer throw out the steel balls.
The tens of thousands of birds prevented those steel balls from flying very far.
Boomboomboom!
One explosion blasted through the air after another, massive balls of fire spreading outward, radiating waves of heat like miniature suns.
Old Eagle’s adjustment of strategies had caused a rapid reversal in the battle. Hundreds of the giant bird army were being killed in the explosions, and its losses were soaring.
“Throw out the fire bombs! Use them against the birds!”
The Arab bird riders were alarmed and enraged. As they shouted, they began to throw out the steel balls. In a single explosion, several dozen birds were engulfed by a fireball, but several giant birds were also caught in the explosion and, heavily injured, plunged from the skies.
On the ground, Old Eagle was cold and unperturbed. Ninety percent of the numerous birds he had brought with him had been obtained from the Rebellion of the Three Princes. He would feel no heartache no matter how many of them the Arabs killed.
The power of this eagle army came from their beaks and claws that were strengthened with Wootz Steel, not the actual birds themselves. Regardless of their losses, Old Eagle had ways of replenishing his forces.
Amidst the shrieking of birds, the situation in the air was quickly stabilized. The losses in the giant bird army continued to mount, and the assistance of the master archers on the ground ensured that this aerial army posed no threat.
Boom! In another explosion, a giant bird plunged from the sky.
On the ground, Wang Zhongsi and Abusi slowly looked away, subtly glancing at Wang Chong upon his White-hoofed Shadow, a hint of surprise in their eyes.
While Wang Zhongsi was the Crown Prince’s Junior Guardian and the previous War God, this was only his first time working with Wang Chong on the battlefield. Before this, he had only heard of the legends and tales regarding Wang Chong’s feats.
As for Tongluo Great General Abusi, while he had sent his subordinate Chuluohou to the Battle of Talas along with several thousand Tongluo Cavalry and had heard from them about the savagery of that battle, Abusi had not seen it with his own eyes. His personal experience with Wang Chong was restricted to the Rebellion of the Three Princes, but this time was different. Here, Wang Chong’s strength was secondary, but his subordinates left an extremely deep impression on this pair.
In a battle, while the strength of the commanding general was still important, what was even more important was that his subordinate officers were fierce and wise. This was an important indicator of a general’s ability. After all, a commander’s orders would have to be relayed through his subordinates to be carried out.
The two of them had seen just now how Wang Chong had issued a few simple orders and let his subordinates carry out the rest.
And these people had not simply complied with their orders. They were able to adapt to the situation on the battlefield and develop their own countermeasures.
This was what was most important for a commander.
The quality of a general would affect the quality of his army. Although Wang Chong was young, he already had an almost extravagant entourage of generals, one that other Great Generals could only dream of.
Bang!
But before they could lose themselves any further in their thoughts, there was a fierce rumbling. The ground beneath their feet began to tremble, and then an inhuman roar resounded over the battlefield. Around a thousand feet away, the ground cracked open, large rocks pushed to the skies by an enormous strength, and then a giant sandworm emerged from the earth.
“Hurry and retreat!”
The Tang soldiers in the area fell back in alarm. Everyone now knew how tough the outer skin of these underground monsters was, and that their attacks would have no effect. And if they were eaten by these monsters, they would basically be dead.
But before the Tang soldiers could retreat very far…
Plush!
Foul black-green blood gushed out from the sandworm’s mouth, rising several dozen meters into the air. Schlick! The tip of a sharp sword emerged from the skin of the sandworm and moved downward, tearing open a gap.
Schlump! A large mass of organs and bodily fluids spilled out. At the same time, a stalwart figure with a large Wootz Steel sword jumped out of the sandworm’s body and landed on the ground.
Behind him, the large sandworm shrieked in dissent and crashed to the earth, never to dig again.
Clang!
The man who had emerged from the sandworm pulled up his visor and used a burst of Stellar Energy to shake off the sticky liquids caking his body.
“General!”
The Tang soldiers were elated to see Li Siye’s face. It was truly unexpected for him to have dealt with that giant sandworm in so little time.
But Li Siye remained cold and aloof. Ignoring the soldiers, he gripped his sword a
nd began to move elsewhere.
These giant sandworms were extremely hardy and difficult to deal with. Even though Li Siye had done his best, he had only now managed to kill one. And if he hadn’t done so by entering its mouth, he would have found it even more difficult.
He needed to pick up his pace and kill these giant sandworms as soon as possible.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Explosions came from under the earth. As Li Siye was killing his sandworm and heading off to find another, Young Master Qingyang, Sword Dragon, Zhao Fengchen, and the other experts got to work, though it came from deep underground this time.
With these fierce explosions, black-green liquid gushed out of the black pits, rising several dozen meters high. Meanwhile, the life forces of the giant sandworms began to rapidly fade away.
Under their assault, the sandworms underground were quickly brought under control.
Without the disruption of the sandworms, the Tang army quickly stabilized. The thirty-some giant ballistae could now focus completely on the advancing Behemoth Army.
“Hurry! Go! Go!”
“Forget the Behemoths! I need those steel walls repaired as soon as possible!”
“Where’s the module team? I’ll give you thirty seconds to set up two hundred walls!”
“Soldering team, get ready! You don’t have long! Retreat once you’re done!”
“Craftsman team, pull the reserve module from the rear! Break the crates already! What are you waiting for?!”
The central defense line had been devastated by the Behemoth Army’s assault. At present, more than one thousand steel walls had been crushed or knocked aside. Even so, the Arab assault was not going smoothly.
The Tang craftsmen were working with astonishing speed to rebuild the steel walls. If the terrain was damaged, they would choose a different spot to rebuild. The craftsmen were not stubborn about the exact position of the walls. Stopping the Arab assault took first priority.
Their goal was not to deal with the Behemoths, but to stop the Arab cavalry coming up behind the Behemoths.
Chapter 1843 - Full Assault on the Tang Commanders!
Chapter 1843: Full Assault on the Tang Commanders!
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
Boomboomboom!
As the craftsmen continued the repairs, giant ballista bolts howled overhead, the gusts of wind they generated sweeping up the debris on the ground. Bang! A bolt quickly slammed into the forehead of a tiger Behemoth.
After this, twenty-some more giant ballista bolts swiftly followed. This vicious tiger Behemoth howled in extreme pain as its body went stiff and crashed to the ground, crushing several dozen steel walls into pancakes.
And then another one fell, and another…
With piercing howls, more and more Behemoths crashed to the ground.
The Great Tang also did not choose to wrangle with these enormous beings, drawing back its soldiers to minimize losses.
At this time, the Arabs had already lost thirty-seven Behemoths and were still losing more.
However, the focus of attention on the battlefield was not the Behemoths, but the clash at the front line.
“Kill!”
“Kill!”
War cries in Han and Arabic resounded above the steel defense line. Zhangchou Jianqiong and An Sishun had separately led their forces in piercing through the Arab flanks, after which they had smoothly joined forces.
In the entire process, Zhangchou Jianqiong and An Sishun had not even needed to speak to each other.
As two of the illustrious Great Generals of the empire, they possessed insight, experience, and mastery of the art of war far above average. By the time they had stepped onto the battlefield, they had already simulated the battle countless times and understood what they needed to do.
Behind the steel defense line, Gao Xianzhi sent out a powerful mental wave and declared, “The Arabs have lost!”
Elsewhere, Abusi and Wang Zhongsi nodded.
From the moment Zhangchou Jianqiong and An Sishun had led their armies in piercing through the flanks of the Arab army, they had known what the pair was attempting to achieve.
Being surrounded by the enemy force was a major taboo on the battlefield, but it seemed that the Arab commander had no idea.
Even though Arabia was a powerful country, it was still lacking in terms of tactics compared to the Great Tang.
“Not good!”
In the middle of the Arab army, Apolis suddenly paled as he saw Zhangchou Jianqiong and An Sishun complete the encirclement. But unfortunately, his realization had come too late.
“It’s time to begin the harvest!”
“These Arabs are done for!”
As Zhangchou Jianqiong and An Sishun completed their encirclement, their eyes flashed with harsh light. Now that they had joined together, the two commanders immediately launched a full offensive against the surrounded Arab army.
“Kill!”
War cries shook the heavens as the Annan Protectorate army and Beiting Protectorate army charged at the Arabs, their morale soaring to unprecedented levels. Thud! Thud! Thud! The panicked Arab cavalry were cut down like weeds, and everywhere they looked, they could only see the Tang cavalry seething with killing intent.
Some of the Arab cavalry brashly shouted and tried to turn around their horses and charge at the enemy, but they were hindered by their fellow soldiers.
Moreover, once the Annan Protectorate army and Beiting Protectorate army completed their encirclement, the Arab cavalry lost the space to build up enough speed for a charge.
In this sort of large-scale battle, cavalry that was surrounded did not have enough space to charge, making them worse than infantry and essentially sealing their fate. This was why Wang Zhongsi, An Sishun, and Gao Xianzhi had determined that the Arabs had lost.
“Ah!”
Screams tore through the air as great swaths of the Arab ranks were cut down.
They were forced back again and again by the Great Tang’s fierce offensive, but behind them were the stalwart ranks of the Tang shield soldiers. The Arabs fell into even greater disarray.
However, on this battlefield, the greatest variable was not with Zhangchou Jianqiong and An Sishun, but at the first defense line.
“Ah!”
The Silver Spear Army cavalry screamed as they were cut down. When Zhangchou Jianqiong had left with the Annan Protectorate army to attack the enemy army, he had left behind seven-thousand-some infantry.
Plush! Sharp weapons swept across the ground, smoothly inserting themselves between chinks of armor and cutting down the legs of horses, then stabbing into the small crack in the underbelly armor of the horses.
These Annan Protectorate army infantry were as nimble as foxes and as dextrous as apes, constantly maneuvering beneath the horses. Thud! Thud! Thud! As these infantry continued their assault, the Silver Spear Army horses crashed to the ground and were rendered motionless.
“Ballistae, height of eighty-seven! Shoot!” A cold voice came from behind the defense line.
Creeeak! With the sound of groaning gears, the tens of thousands of ballistae were loaded and aimed.
Thudthudthud!
The air exploded as a wave of ballista bolts hurtled through the air. This time, without the protection of the Silver Spear Army’s massive shields, the Arabs could no longer stop Su Hanshan’s ballistae.
Plush! Plush! Plush! Gleaming with a fatal light, the ballista bolts flew through the air and blasted through flesh and armor. Row after row of Arab cavalry was pierced through, the bodies of men and horses falling to the ground.
“Shit! Careful!”
“The Tang are firing their ballistae again!”
“Get out of the way! Out of the way! The vanguard has fallen!”
“Ah! We’re dead!”
Fear spread like a plague through the army. An Arab horseman stared in panic at that grim barrage. Ninety percent of the Arab cavalry in this expedition had never been to the east
. They had only ever heard about the east and about Wang Chong’s feats.
People believed their eyes more than their ears, and who would ever believe such things unless they had seen it with their own eyes?
For the first time, the valiant Arab cavalry of the western world felt a fear that came from the depths of their souls. Those strange eastern machines would cut down countless lives with each volley, and no armor, distance, or Stellar Energy was capable of stopping their lethal bolts.
Boom! A ballista bolt howled through the air, and the Arab horseman went stiff as he looked down to see the large hole through his chest, upon which he collapsed together with his horse.
The Arab cavalry were slain in the thousands and tens of thousands, many of them dying without even having time to grunt. But there were also the heavily wounded, their screams of despair mixing together with the thud of falling bodies.
In the distance, behind the steel walls, Su Hanshan continued to coldly command his ballistae, ordering them to fire volley after volley of lethal bolts. Boom! Boom! Boom! As the heavens rumbled, the Arab losses climbed at an astonishing rate.
Both advancing and retreating meant only death for these Arab cavalry.
The Great Tang ballistae were each manned by five men, with each man assigned to a certain duty. But Su Hanshan and Zhang Shouzhi had modified the procedure so that each ballista team could be cut down to four men. This meant that ten thousand ballistae needed forty thousand men to operate them, but they killed far more than the number of soldiers they required. Forty thousand, eighty thousand, even a hundred thousand cavalry could not compare in efficiency to the forty thousand men manning the ballistae.
Forty thousand, seventy thousand, eighty thousand, one hundred and ten thousand…
By now, the two-hundred-thousand-some Arab cavalry had experienced horrifying losses, and the endless barrage filled the surviving Arabs with despair.
The Behemoth Army had not fallen, nor had the giant sandworms, and the giant birds were still holding out, but the vanguard on the ground was on the verge of crumbling.
The Human Emperor c1-2382 Page 1125