Chapter 904: The Wise Ministers Stratagems! (1/2)
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
”Lower your eyes, avoid the sunlight, and pay attention to the shadows on the ground!”
Wang Chong's familiar voice suddenly rose from the rear of the Tang army. His words immediately calmed his soldiers and they lowered their eyes. Xu Keyi quickly calmed down as well.
”Adjust the angle. Pay attention to the area under the horses. Ready!”
Xu Keyi soon gave off a string of orders, but just when his sword was ready to swing down, he suddenly heard a piercing whistle. A round shadow rapidly began to expand behind the second defense line, and before anyone could react, a boulder two armspans in circumference dropped from the sky and crashed into the area behind the ballista army.
”Stone throwers!”
Wang Chong's eyes flew open at the sight of this boulder dropping from the sky.
”Careful!”
But before he could give any further warnings, a massive explosion came from behind him. Turning his head, Wang Chong saw a blazing fire belching out black smoke, fed by a thick, black liquid flowing across the ground.
Arabian Kerosene!
Wang Chong's pupils constricted as he recognized this liquid. In a flash, countless thoughts flew through his mind.
Catapults!
Arabia and Ü-Tsang had used these things against him at the same time!
”Release!”
On the eastern end of the battlefield, hundreds of catapults stood unseen behind the hills. Tense Tibetans continued to assemble catapults from wooden parts.
The Tibetan Plateau was primarily grassland and lacked tall trees, so Dalun Ruozan had obtained the lumber needed to build these catapults from Mengshe Zhao merchants. The internal makeup of Wang Chong's steel modules, as well as their methods of construction and assembly, were still mysteries for the various countries, but Dalun Ruozan had been inspired to use this modular method for his catapults so that he could transport them to Talas.
The Great Tang was famed for its ballistae. On the battlefield, these weapons were nigh unstoppable.
And these catapults still in the middle of construction were the weapons Dalun Ruozan planned to use to counter Wang Chong.
”Release!”
With this order, large boulders were thrown into the air, drawing massive arcs through the sky as they crossed the hills, crossed the eastern battlefield, and landed in the rear of the first defensive line, where all the ballistae were stationed.
Boom!
One ballista was not able to move in time and was smashed into pieces by a large boulder, along with the transport carriage beneath it, causing metal shards, ballista bolts, and carriage wheels to fly in all directions. As for the five warriors around the ballista, they were tossed through the air like ragdolls by the enormous force of the impact.
Boom! Another boulder crashed down, crushing two Qixi soldiers into pulp. And then a third, a fourth… The air shrieked as hundreds upon hundreds of boulders hurtled through the air.
”Release!”
While this was happening, on the western side of the battlefield, behind the more than two hundred thousand Arab soldiers, imposing catapults more than ten meters tall stood in a neat row. In front of these catapults, a sharp-eyed Arab general swung down his arm.
Boomboomboom! Large metal balls howled through the air, flying over the battlefield to land between the first and second defense lines. When these metal balls struck the ground, they exploded into pieces, immediately igniting the viscous Arabian Kerosene contained within them into a roaring fire.
As these metal balls rained down, the area behind the first defense line was soon turned into a sea of fire. The situation rapidly worsened, and in a few moments, the Great Tang was in a terrible plight.
Rumble! Availing themselves of the chaos, the Arabs advanced, bellowing as they smashed against the steel walls and the first line of shields. The walls and infantry shuddered as the sharp clanging of metal filled the air.
”Charge!”
”Kill them all!”
”All heretics must die!”
These Arabic roars filled the sky.